Innocence
by SoundEffectsAndOverdramatics-x
Summary: It started with a 'hello' and ended with a 'goodbye'. But in between was something Sweet Pea wasn't prepared for. Blue/Sweet Pea, set in the second reality. Don't own Sucker Punch!
1. Too Far From Paradise

**It started with a "hello" and ended with a "goodbye". But in between was something Sweet Pea wasn't prepared for. **

**When Sweet Pea first arrives at the brothel at the age of 21, she can't help but notice the young assistant, Blue Jones, who's good looks and charisma win her over instantly.**

**But three years into a secret relationship between the two, Blue's promoted to Boss, and Sweet Pea can't help but notice a change in him, which results in a change in her.**

**A/N: Sweet Pea/Blue Jones. Don't own Sucker Punch. Enjoy! btw, I know that the brothel was all Babydoll's imagination, but it was a good storyline, so yeah. And also, remember that everyone is quite young in this, so attitudes and looks may be different to how they appeared in the movie.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

Too Far From Paradise

"Go, go!" I grabbed Rocket's hand, running as fast as I could. The police sirens wailed behind us and I screamed in frustration.

"Sweet Pea!"

"Just keep going, Rocket!" I yelled. The rain splattered on the floor heavily and I ran into an alleyway. We heard the police car stop, and heard a car door slam.

"STOP!" The officer yelled. I boosted Rocket up and she jumped the gate, landing on the other side. I leapt up, climbing as fast as I could. I jumped down and I heard a tiny pop. The next thing I knew, immense pain was zapping through my entire body and I screamed, clutching the main center of it all: my ankle.

"SWEET PEA!" Rocket ran to me, putting my arm around her neck.

"Sweet Pea, we have to go!" She helped me up, supporting me. We got pretty far before the pain became too much and I started to shake.

"Sweet Pea!"

"I can't, it hurts!" I panted. I dropped to the floor and Rocket grabbed me before I landed.

"No, no! Sweet Pea! WE HAVE TO GO!" She yelled, trying to get me up again.

"Get up." I looked up and saw a police officer looking at me with a gun pointed at Rocket's head.

"Please...we didn't do anything wrong..." Rocket whispered.

"Get up." Rocket got up slowly and my heart was racing. Rain poured down from the sky heavily and I breathed deeply, trying to calm down as Rocket looked at the officer, sighing.

"You girls have no idea how much trouble you are in."

"We can take it from here, officer." I looked behind him and saw a large man walking with two guards behind him. His hair was cropped short, and he wore a suit that looked too tight for his body. He held an umbrella over his head, shielding himself from the rain.

"We'll take them in." The man said, smiling. The officer sighed.

"Mr. Jacobs, I know you often come to us, looking for strays, but look here. These girls almost murdered a man. Are you sure you want someone like that in your...line of business?" He said. Mr. Jacobs handed him a roll of money and I looked on in shock.

"Just the kind of girls we like. Right boys?" The guards nodded.

"$3000 for both of them. How's that?" He asked, smiling. The officer sighed, but nodded, shoving his gun back into it's holster. Rocket turned and lifted me up and the pain slowly rose through my leg. The rain made me cough and Rocket growled.

"My ankle..." I whispered.

"How about you lovely ladies come with me, huh?" Mr. Jacobs said, smiling.

"Do we have any other choice?" I said, gritting my teeth.

"Well, you can come with me, or you can go with the lovely officer here and probably get a life sentence for attempted murder. You choose one." He said, shrugging. I looked at Rocket, who looked at me, scared. I sighed but nodded and Mr. Jacobs grinned.

"Well get under here, then! You'll get sick in this weather. You have yourself a nice day, officer!" He said, nodding at the officer. He helped us into the car and the guard hopped into the driver's seat, immediately taking off.

"Ooh, we'll get something for that ankle back at the house, darling." He said to me.

"Where are you taking us?" I asked quietly.

"Well, just to a little place I like to call paradise." Mr. Jacobs said, smiling. The rest of the journey was quiet. Rocket held my hand tightly, the other clutching my ankle and I realized she was shaking.

"I think it's broken." I whispered. She took a good look at it, and grabbed it lightly, feeling for any broken bones. She shook her head.

"I think you've just sprained it badly." She rested her head on my shoulder and I sighed. We pulled up to a massive mansion like house and Mr. Jacobs helped us out, that smirk still on his face. Rocket supported me as he led us inside and I noticed the tight security and the electronically locked doors.

"This place a prison?" I said, my blood boiling.

"Oh hardly. It's a brothel." He said, smiling. I stopped in my tracks, looking at him.

"Excuse me?"

"A brothel. You know, dancing, sex. The usual." He said, grinning. I grabbed Rocket's hand and turned around, the pain in my ankle gone.

"We're leaving." Two guards stepped in front of us.

"You see the thing is ladies...you leave? I report you to the police and you spend your lives in jail. Stay here, and you avoid that altogether. Now, I'm no Albert Einstein...but even I know what the right choice here is." Mr. Jacobs said, grinning once more. He pulled out a cigar, lighting it and puffing on it as he watched us.

Tears sprang in my eyes and Rocket looked at me.

"We don't have a choice." She whispered.

"Rocket, I promised I would keep you safe..."

"We're safer in here then we are out there. And your ankle might be seriously injured. No hospital is gonna take in two girls with no money, Sweet Pea." She whispered.

"We don't have all day ladies..." Mr. Jacobs said. I sighed, but turned back around, walking toward him. He grinned and led us through the doors, a slight swagger in his walk. We entered a theater, and there were girls dancing on stage, another woman directing them from below. There was a bar on the left of us and a gigantic chandelier on the ceiling in the middle of the room. Tables and chairs surrounded the floor below the theater.

"Go and get Blue." Mr. Jacobs asked one of the guards.

"Yes, sir." The guard left and Mr. Jacobs looked at us, smiling.

"This is the theater, ladies. Where all the magic happens. That over there, is Madam Gorski. VERA!" He yelled out. The woman directing the girls on stage turned and looked at us.

"Take a break!" She yelled. Her accent was polish. She walked over to us.

"Anthony." She said, smiling as she hugged him lightly and kissed his cheek.

"Vera, these are our newest recruits, uh..."

"I'm Rocket. This is my sister, Sweet Pea." Rocket said quietly.

"Ah, Rocket and Sweet Pea."

"Those aren't your real names are they?" Madam Gorski asked, one of her eyebrows arching skeptically.

"No, ma'am. But we'd rather not say our real names." I said, my heart sinking. We'd adopted our nicknames from our parents. The parents we'd run away from. She nodded.

"That's alright. Nobody here uses their real names anyway, except perhaps the staff."

"Ah, here's Blue!" Mr. Jacobs said, smiling. I turned and saw a young man entering the room. He looked to be my age. He ran a hand through his black hair and smiled, placing a fedora hat on his head, his dark features smoldering as he came forward. He wore a black suit with a white tie, the sleeves rolled up, and his black pants and the boots he wore shone in the chandelier's light. He spun around and pointed at the boss, holding his arms out to the side.

"Like the new look?" He said, grinning.

"Ah, now that my kid, is a look I can work with! Not this shoulder length hair, dark look you had before! Now you look like an assistant!" The boss said, laughing.

"Good, good! Vera, what do you think?" Blue said, looking at Madam Gorski. She smiled.

"Handsome, as usual." She said. Blue winked at her, then turned to us. I felt a blush creeping on my face as I realized I must've looked like a drowned rat, with a black dress on that was soaked with rain, along with my entire body, clutching my younger sister for support as I tried not to think about the pain in my ankle.

"Hello, ladies!" He said, smiling at us. He looked at the boss.

"What did you need my man?"

"This young lady here has got a hurt ankle, and seeing as you are quite the expert at healing broken bones...remember, you healed Ramona's wrist very nicely when she broke it!" Mr. Jacobs said. Madam Gorski and Blue seemed to freeze slightly, pain in both their eyes, but it lasted for only a second before Blue was smiling again.

"Well, I try my best." Blue said winking. I watched them both curiously.

"Can you do me a favor? Can you take her to a different room, help her out? And Rocket, you wanna go with Madam Gorski here, get a tour of the place with the other girls?"

"I'd rather stay with my sister, I-"

"It's okay, Sweet Pea." Rocket said. I looked at her and she nodded.

"O-okay then." I said.

"I'll take her from here!" Blue said, walking over to me and taking Rocket's spot. I blushed even harder as I realized my wet clothes were making his new outfit wet as well.

"I'm sorry-"

"It's okay! It's okay! Oh, by the way. Blue Jones, nice to meet you." He said, shaking my hand. I smiled.

"Sweet Pea. My sister, Rocket." I said. He nodded.

"Come, come, Rocket. Let's get you dried off. Also, there are some girls I'd like you to meet." Madam Gorski said. Rocket left with her and Blue wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Here we go." He said. My stomach churned with each step as the pain grew worse.

"And...here we are." Blue opened one of the doors and I saw a bed in the middle of the room. I groaned as pain zapped up my ankle as I sat down on the bed.

"Let's have a look." Blue said, grabbing a stool. I lifted my foot and he grabbed my ankle, his hands cold and soothing as he ran them over my ankle.

"Alright. Now, feels to me like you've simply sprained it so, i'm just gonna move it around a bit, okay?"

"Okay." I whispered. He started twisting it and moving it around and I hissed as pain exploded throughout my whole leg.

"You okay?" I shook my head.

"Okay, enough now, then?" I nodded. Blue was wrapping something around my foot tightly and he hovered over me, smiling.

"You okay?"

"I think so..." I grabbed his shoulder, trying to get up, but my ankle throbbed. I groaned and he hissed.

"Oh, that hurts, okay. That's okay. You're okay." He said, helping me up. I sighed and sat back down.

"So, Sweet Pea...How did you get here?" Blue asked. I looked at him, sighing.

"Rocket did something...bad. The police were after us, and your boss came and saved our asses. But obviously, at a high price." I said, sighing.

"What did she do?"

"She...almost killed someone." I said, tears springing to my eyes. Blue looked at me in shock.

"Why?" He whispered.

"No, it's not like that. It was an accident." I said, shaking my head as the tears fell. He nodded.

"We all make mistakes." He said. I looked at him and he smiled at me.

"Come on, let's get you to bed. And out of these wet clothes! You need to rest that ankle." He said, laughing. I got up and almost fell down.

"Okay, I see how it is, here we go."

"Hey, wait!" He lifted me into his arms, walking casually as if I weighed nothing.

"I'm fine to walk myself, you know." I mumbled.

"Sure." He said, chuckling.

"I am! Put me down!" I said. He sighed.

"Fine." He set me down and I walked, stumbling slightly and limping from my foot. Blue sighed and wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Come on, let's go." He led me to one of the rooms and knocked on the door. A young petite girl with black hair and dark exotic features answered the door, and she smiled.

"Hey, Blue."

"How's it going, Blondie?"

"Blondie? But she's got dark hair..." I asked, confused. Blondie laughed, then looked at Blue frowning.

"Is she drunk?"

"Yeah, on pain."

"I am not." I said. Blue laughed.

"Is her sister here yet?"

"Who the new girl, Rocket? She's with Madam Gorski but she should be here soon."

"Good." He lay me down on one of the beds and sighed, turning to Blondie.

"Do you have something she can wear? Those clothes are all wet."

"Amber, get her a nightgown?" Blondie said.

"Okay." I turned and saw the girl I presumed to be Amber smile at me. She had long brown hair, and a beautiful smile that made me smile back. Blue winked at me.

"I'll see you around, Sweet Pea." I smiled.

"Bye." He left the room, laughing as he went and Blondie sat on my bed just as Amber came back with a nightgown.

"Here."

"Thanks."

"Name's Amber." She said, smiling.

"Sweet Pea." I said, getting up and heading to the bathroom. Blondie grabbed my arm and slung it over her neck, supporting me. Amber grabbed my other arm and helped.

"Thanks." They both nodded.

"We met your sister, Rocket. She's cool." Blondie said. I nodded, entering the bathroom. Amber flipped down the toilet seat and sat down on it while Blondie hung out next to the door, leaning against it.

"She is." I paused, unsure whether to ask what I wanted to ask. I took my dress off and sighed. Amber handed me a towel and I quickly dried myself off.

"How did you guys get here?" I asked. Blondie sighed.

"Jacobs found me on the streets. My parents were...well...let's just say they weren't the nicest people...I was bruised, bloody and beaten with nowhere to go. Jacobs told me he could help me out. Been here ever since."

"And I was on the streets as well when Jacobs found me. I got kicked out of home, had nowhere else to go." Amber said. I slipped the nightgown on, surprised by how revealing it was.

"Um..."

"That's probably the least revealing one in the trunk. Sorry." Amber said, biting her lip.

"It's...okay. Listen...when we came in, there were a lot of...heavily locked doors. I mean, what's going on here?"

"It's a brothel. But...Jacobs...he doesn't let any of us go." Blondie said.

"What do you mean?" I said, my heart racing.

"He threatens us. Tells us he'll hand us over to the police if we try to escape. About a month ago, when myself and Amber first arrived, they were carrying three body bags outside."

"What?" I exclaimed.

"The girls escaped...and Jacobs called the police. They were all shot before they got more then 5 feet out of here." Amber said.

"Are you serious?" I said, my mind reeling.

"Yeah..." Amber said, sighing. I put my head in my hands.

"Shit..." Tears spilled from my eyes as I realized what I had gotten myself and Rocket into.

"We can't leave..." I whispered.

"It's not that bad here. Most of the older girls do the...you know...other part of the job. We just dance."

"Yeah, but let me guess. You hit 21 and he let's you become an official sex slave?" I said, crying.

"Actually 25. That's apparently when you hit your best...you know..."

"4 years..." I whispered. Blondie sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"How old are you two?" I asked, sniffing.

"I'm 19. Amber's 20." I nodded, calming down a little.

"Rocket's 20, as well. I'm 21." I said, wiping the tears away. I got up just as Rocket entered the bathroom, smiling. She was wearing a nightgown as well, a little less revealing then mine.

"Hey, how's your foot?"

"Sore, but healing." She ran toward me and hugged me.

"Madam Gorski said 'light's out in ten minutes'." Rocket said. I nodded and walked out with her, Amber and Blondie helping me once more. I sat down on a bed with another empty one next to it and Rocket lay down in the bed next to me.

"What did Madam Gorski want from you?" I asked.

"Just to know if I could dance. I told her we had dancing lessons as kids."

"Right. Okay..."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, fine." She smiled.

"I don't think it'll be that bad here, Pea." She said.

_"Yeah, you don't know the full story, obviously." _I thought. I sighed, but smiled back at her.

"Yeah..." She sighed, then lay down in her bed.

Goodnight." She said, turning over in her bed to look at me.

"Night, Rocket."

* * *

><p>I woke with a start, my heart racing as I heard delicate snores around me. I sat up in my bed, looking over at Rocket, who was fast asleep. I flipped the covers off me, my ankle throbbing as I set it down on the floor. My head throbbed and I got up slowly, walking over to the bathroom. I flicked the light on and it flickered slowly. I washed my face with cold water, trying to take deep breaths. My chest hurt and I clutched it, trying to take deep breaths once again. I stumbled and left the bathroom, clicking the light off and walking outside the door. The hallways were bare and the lights were flicking. I walked a little down the hallway, and sank down on the floor, trying as hard as I could to just take some breaths, but I found it hard. I needed fresh air. I continued down the hallway, my heart racing. I turned the corner-<p>

and bumped into one of the guards.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be roaming around at this time of night!" He yelled. The lights above us flickered as he grabbed my arm. I glared at him angrily, trying to pry him off.

"Hey!" I turned and saw Blue walking toward us, his expression angry.

"One; let her go. Two; get out of my face. NOW!" He yelled. The guard let me go, looking at Blue apologetically, and walked off.

"You okay?" He asked me.

"Yeah." I whispered.

"He's right though, you're not supposed to be walking around at this time of night ."

"I need fresh air." I said quietly.

"Come with me then, there's a balcony not too far from here." He led me through two more hallways, myself limping alongside him. I saw a balcony ahead and he opened the door for me, smiling. I walked outside, the breeze feeling like a wake up call. I smiled, my hair whipping around my face as I breathed in.

"Better?" He asked.

"A little." I said, sighing. I sat down on the bench and he sat beside me.

"Blondie told me...about three girls who tried to escape...they were killed?" I said quietly. Blue nodded sadly.

"Why?" I whispered. He sighed, looking at me.

"Mr. Jacobs...is a very strict man." He said hollowly.

"Who kills people for trying to escape?" I said. He sighed.

"Hey the cops did the shooting, not him. It's hard to explain. Just do me a favor. Don't try to escape. I'd hate for that beautiful face of yours to leave this earth." He said, tapping my nose with his finger and winking at me. I smiled lightly. I noticed him looking at me and I looked back, confused.

"What?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing...you feeling all nice and warm inside now?" He said, clapping his hands. I sighed, but nodded.

"I should get back. Before Rocket wakes up and thinks something happened to me." He helped me up and walked out with me.

"Is it true? That Jacobs only makes you do the...'sex' part of the job when you hit 25?" I asked. Blue nodded.

"He feels bad...making the girls do that kind of thing at such a young age. He feels that the innocence leaves a person when they hit 25."

"How old are you?"

"22." He said, grinning.

"Ah..."

"And you?"

"21." We reached the room and Blue looked at me as I opened the door as quietly as I could.

"Well..." He bowed down.

"Goodnight, Madam Sweet Pea." He said, grinning. I laughed quietly.

"Good night, Blue." I said, smiling. He winked at me and walked off. I entered the room, limping over to my bed and crashing on it, a massive grin on my face as I fell asleep.


	2. Dance 'Til Your Dead

**Chapter Two**

Dance 'Til You're Dead**  
><strong>

"Sweet Pea..." I groaned, turning over in my bed and wrapping the covers over myself tightly. I heard someone chuckle and my eyes snapped open when I realized who it was. I shoved the covers off myself and looked up to see Blondie looking down at me, laughing her head off.

"What!" I exclaimed. She shook her head and jerked her head to the left.

"Come on, you're late!"

"Late for what?" I groaned, slowly getting up.

"Dance lessons." She said. I looked at her outfit and saw she was wearing a leotard with stockings covering her legs and a light pink corset, make up covering her face lightly. Her hair was curly, but the front of it was pinned back, the rest of it cascading down to her waist. She looked beautiful. I sighed, looking at her incredulously.

"Do you seriously think I can dance with this ankle of mine?" I asked, looking down at it.

"I know! That's why he's here!" She said, stepping aside to reveal Blue looking at me with a smile on his face.

"Don't you look gorgeous in the morning?" He said, winking at me. He grabbed my foot and slowly unraveled it.

"You better not be using sarcasm." I said, looking at him hollowly.

"Trust me, I'm not." He said, grinning. I blushed, and Blondie watched us, rolling her eyes.

"Now, you're foot is definitely not ready for dancing. But it looks like it's going to heal nicely." He started wrapping it up once more.

"I'll go tell Madam Gorski she's out?" Blondie asked.

"You tell Madam Gorski that Sweet Pea will be hanging with me for the next couple of days." Blue said, smiling at her. She nodded.

"Okay." She left the room and I watched her.

"Why is she dressed so..."

"Provocatively?" Blue asked, one of his eyebrows raising. I nodded.

"Well, there's a show on tonight, and they're going over their dance one last time, with the full costumes on. Your sister is helping out with the make-up I believe. She's too new to do the dance tonight, obviously. She'll start with the new stuff tomorrow."

"And she's only dancing, right?"

"Yes. Blondie, Amber, and now, you and Rocket are our dancers only. The older girls do the...other part of the job." Blue said, still wrapping my foot.

"Do they dance, as well?" I asked. He nodded.

"All the girls dance as one, but sometimes, the older girls dance individually. Then the customer chooses who they liked, and well..."

"Right." I said, taking a breath in, trying to wrap my mind around it all. Blue laughed as he finished wrapping my foot and looked at me.

"We have a show, twice a week. And the older girls learn their own dances, then the group one. You, Amber, Blondie and Rocket are the lucky ones. You're our youngest members, so you only have to learn the group dance."

"Oh..." He winked at me, then got up and held out his hand to me.

"How about you and me go and find something to do?" He asked, smiling. I took a deep breath and smiled at him, taking his hand.

"Let's go."

"Oh, before I forget." He winked and unlaced his hands from mine, walking outside and coming back in two seconds later with crutches in his hands.

"You're going to need these." He said, grinning mischievously.

* * *

><p>"And here is the dance studio!" Blue said, finally ending the tour of the entire brothel as he opened the door for me. I walked in and saw Madam Gorski tapping a stick on the floor repeatedly, following the beat of the music as two girls were dancing next to each other.<p>

Blondie, Amber and Rocket turned to look at me and grinned.

"Hey! The girls are just learning their separate pieces. We've already done our group one." Blondie said. Rocket hugged me, smiling.

"Hi, Blue!" She said, waving at him. He winked at her and grinned.

"Hey, Rocket."

"Aw, you're walking on crutches, you poor thing!" Amber said, sighing.

"It's okay, I'll live."

"Ah, Sweet Pea!" I turned and saw Madam Gorski look at me with a smile on her face.

"Take a break girls!" She called out. She walked over to Blue, kissing his cheek.

"What brings you two here?" She said, smiling.

"Just showing Sweet Pea around." Blue said, grinning. Madam Gorski nodded, then walked out to the middle of the room.

"Well, ladies. The show is on tonight, I hope everyone is ready!" She called out. Everyone nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright, I'll see everyone tonight. Sweet Pea, Rocket, can you come with me for a minute?" She said, nodding at us. I began walking out, but Blue grabbed my arm lightly.

"I'll see you around, okay?" He said, smiling. I nodded.

"Come, come." Madam Gorski called to me in a sing song voice. I rolled my eyes and Blue laughed as I walked away from him. She led us down a hallway, talking as she went.

"Now, ladies. I know you're very new at this and that you, Sweet Pea, have a hurt ankle, which means you won't be dancing for about a week or so. However, that doesn't mean you can't be a part of the show. Sweet Pea, I want you to stay by Blue for the whole show. He's our go to guy for injuries, and if something happens to you tonight, I want him to be close by. But I also want you to help Rocket out with the girls and their make up and costumes, etc. So, we're going to do yours and Rocket's make up first, you're going to get dressed up, so that by the time you're done, your full attention will be on the girls." She opened a door for us and kept walking through as myself and Rocket tried to keep up with her.

"Madam Gorski, I'm currently uh, disabled...why do I need to dress up?" I asked.

"You may be disabled, but that doesn't mean you can't look good at being disabled!"

"But how am I going to look good walking around on crutches?" I said, confused.

"You're not going to be walking around on crutches, dear. You'll be with Blue, he'll support you the entire time. And I'm pretty sure you'll be sitting as well."

"Oh..." I could already tell a night of torture was ahead of me.

"And Rocket, you'll help the bartenders serve the drinks, if that's okay with you?"

"Yeah, that's fine!"

"Alright, in you go!" She said, smiling as we entered the room. Two way mirrors were placed all around the room, red drapes covering the walls. There were tables full of make up and accessories with mirrors on top of them, lights surrounding the edge of all of the mirrors.

"Okay both of you, sit." She started on Rocket first, and I sat on the seat, sighing. I barely even realized I had dozed off until Madam Gorski tapped my thigh and I woke up to her grinning face in front of me.

"Your turn." She said. I looked over at Rocket and gasped.

My sister was beautiful naturally, in my opinion. But the way she looked now? Any man would be sure to fall to his knees in front of her. She was wearing a gorgeous sky blue corset, and short shorts. She wore fishnet stockings on her arms and legs, the ones on her legs cutting off at mid thigh, and the ones on her arms cutting off at her elbows. She wore heels that made her look ten times taller than natural. I felt a little bad at how revealing her clothing was, but when Madam Gorski showed me what she was dressing me in, I started feeling bad for someone else: myself.

"Wow..." Was all I could say.

"Make-up first!" She said, grinning as she began powdering my face and applying make up to every inch of my face.

"The trick to beauty girls, is to not put too much make-up. I want you to look natural! That's why I only put the necessary stuff, you know...mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, lipstick." Madam Gorski said. I looked at Rocket and agreed. Rocket looked the same, the only difference was she was wearing mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow and make-up. She grinned at me widely.

"I am contemplating giving Rocket a wig. I love the short, fiery orange hair, darling, but it does not suit your outfit." Madam Gorski said, somehow still managing to do my make-up and talk at the same time.

"I was thinking...this short, shoulder length black hair." Rocket said, picking it up and placing it on her head. She turned to look at us. I laughed, finding it weird to see my sister with black hair.

"What do you think?" She asked. Madam Gorski nodded.

"Perfect. Now, you, Sweet Pea..." She got me up and looked at Rocket.

"Help me get her into her outfit, please?"

"Sure." They stripped me down to my bra and underwear and I blushed, hoping no one walked in at this precise time when I was half naked in front of my dance instructor and my sister. They dressed me in an extremely skimpy and short black skirt with ruffles, the leotard underneath riding up my butt as Madam Gorski put on fishnet stockings. She was very careful with my ankle, which I was grateful for. It was already going to be in enough pain later on in the night. Rocket dressed me in this hot pink corset, which even I had to admit, looked pretty good on me. I wore arm stockings as well, and my make-up was amazing. Hot pink eye shadow lightly covered my eyelids, and there was a hint of purple around my eye as well. My eyes were covered in mascara and eyeliner, and my lips were covered with natural, but slightly pink, lipstick. I grinned and looked in the mirror, quite happy with how I looked.

"Okay, now! Hair!" Madam Gorski placed a black choker around my neck, then started working on my hair. She began puffing my hair and curling it in some areas with a curling iron, grabbing an entire front section of my hair and puffing it, then pinning it back. It looked similar to Blondie's hair.

"Okay now! Shoes..." She grabbed heels, which I was looking at with complete dread.

"Madam Gorski..."

"It's just sprained, Sweet Pea. It'll heal in a matter of days." Rocket said softly.

"Not if I wear those!"

"You'll be fine." Madam Gorski slipped them on my feet, which jolted my foot and made me hiss in pain. The girls started piling in and Blondie and Amber squealed when they saw Rocket and me.

"YOU GUYS LOOK GORGEOUS!" They yelled, hugging us both. I grinned and Madam Gorski called out.

"Okay, showtime, ladies!" I started re-touching Blondie's make-up when there was a knock at the door.

"Madam Gorski?" I turned and saw a guard at the door. She walked over to him. She argued with him a little then sighed and looked at me.

"Sweet Pea!" I limped over to her, pain in my foot as she sighed.

"Blue says the guests are arriving now and he needs his lady. He's waiting outside for you." I nodded.

"Oh, okay." I apologized to Blondie, who winked at me.

"Go hang out with your man." She said, grinning. I rolled my eyes at her and walked outside. Blue was talking with Mr. Jacobs when he turned and looked at me. His face dropped in shock and Mr. Jacobs wolf whistled.

"My my, Sweet Pea...you sure do look good." He said, walking over to me. I tried not to regurgitate the lunch I had had earlier with Blue as he walked over to me and grazed my jaw with his finger.

"If I were you, I'd keep this one close to you tonight, Blue." Mr. Jacobs said. He grabbed my butt and I jolted, my blood boiling as I resisted the urge to punch him in the face. Blue cleared his throat and nodded.

"Y-Yes, sir." Mr. Jacobs walked off and I shivered. Blue walked up to me, grinning.

"You look...amazing!" He breathed. I smiled.

"Thanks." He wrapped his arm around my waist and I wrapped mine around his shoulder. He was a little taller than me, and he looked down at me, grinning.

"Let's do this." We walked slowly, the pressure on my foot disappearing slightly as Blue's arm around my waist acted as a support.

"How's your ankle doing?" He asked, as if he was reading my mind. I shrugged.

"It's okay now."

"Good, good." He somehow managed to support me, but make it look as if we were walking normally. We entered the theater and I gasped at the sight before me. There were men everywhere, some of them with their arms around women's waists, others just sitting down, getting a drink and waiting for the show to begin. I watched the men who had women, confused.

"If they're here to, you know...have sex, why do they have women with them?" I asked Blue.

"Some of them just come to see the show. The women like the dance routines." Blue said, smiling.

"Oh..."

"Blue! How's it going, my man!" Blue turned, his hold on my waist loosening as he greeted a man, hugging him.

"How are you, Frank?" Blue asked, a grin on his face. The man smiled, his blue eyes crinkling as he ran a hand through his blond hair. He looked to be in his mid-thirties or so.

"You know, same old, same old. Who's this gorgeous gal you've got with you?" I smiled at him and Blue wrapped his arm around my waist once more.

"Ah, this is one of our newest girls. Sweet Pea, meet Frank. Frank, meet Sweet Pea." Frank shook my hand.

"Pleasure to meet you."

"You, too."

"Now, Blue, I need to discuss some business with Mr. Jacobs, any idea where he is?"

"I believe Mr. Jacobs is in his office, but he should be down here as soon as the show begins."

"Ah, good. I'll see you around!"

"See ya, Frank." Frank left and I looked at Blue curiously, who looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

"What?"

"What business is Frank talking about?" I asked. Blue looked at me, then looked around.

"Well...the brothel's kind of a...disguise."

"Disguise?" I repeated, confused. He nodded.

"It's a front for the behind the scenes business that goes on here. You know, drugs, weapons, money..." I didn't find it surprising that the brothel dabbled in business such as drugs and weaponry, but my heart still started racing as I stared at Blue.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen to you or your sister." He said, smiling.

"I hope so." I said, my voice shaking. He wrapped his arm around my waist tighter in a sympathetic way.

"Come on, let's sit down, rest your ankle." He said softly. We walked over to a couch in the corner of the circle in the middle of the theater. I gasped as eerie music began playing over the speakers in the room. Blue laughed.

"No one's dancing yet, they're just setting the mood."

"Setting the mood? I feel like i'm in a horror movie." I said. He laughed. Many people came up to him and greeted him, and I found myself growing angrier as the people who greeted him looked at me as if to say "Oh, look at Blue's new toy." However, Blue introduced me as if I were his new flame, and if they ignored me, he began acting coolly toward them, as if angered by their lack of interest in me.

"See you later, Blue." One of this friends who had ignored me said, looking at him, surprised at his attitude.

"Yeah..." Blue said, not looking at him. His friend walked away and I scoffed, looking at Blue.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"What was what about?" He said, smiling cheekily as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, sitting closer to me and relaxing, putting his feet up on the table. I played along and inched closer to him, crossing my legs, being careful with my ankle.

"You acted like he didn't exist toward the end of the conversation. Why?"

"He ignored you. It's rude." Blue said, shrugging. I smiled.

"Thank you." He nodded.

"Just being a gentleman." I patted his thigh with my hand lightly, then left it there. He looked at my hand, then me, his eyebrow raising.

"What, I'm supposed to be you're 'girl' for the night, I might as well play along." I said, winking. He laughed.

"In that case..." He wrapped his arm even tighter around me, bringing me closer to him. I gasped and our faces almost hit each other. He tapped my nose with his finger and winked.

"Better." He said, grinning.

"Can I get you guys something?" I turned quickly at hearing the familiar voice, gasping and my ankle hit the table.

"Motherf-" I cut off mid-sentence, gasping in pain.

"Ooo...that must've hurt." Blue said.

"Oh no, Sweet Pea, I'm sorry!" Rocket said, laying the drinks on the table and crouching down next to my ankle. It throbbed lightly, but I sighed, smiling at her.

"It's fine, don't worry." She smiled at me, huffing the fringe of her black wig away from her face and getting back up.

"Do you guys want anything?" She asked.

"I'm good, Rocket. Thanks." Blue said, smiling. I nodded. She walked away toward one of the tables and I watched her, sighing.

"What's wrong?" Blue asked.

"Nothing...it's just, watching her work here, in a brothel...serving people drinks and knowing she's gonna be dancing up there next week..."

"She'll be fine, no one can buy her out."

"I know, but what happens if she hits 25 and we're still here?" I whispered. He sighed.

"You are still going to be here, Sweet Pea. Unless you want yourself and Rocket to end up like those girls Blondie told you about." Blue said sternly.

"I can't just sit aside and let my sister become a sex slave, Blue!" I whispered angrily.

"Hey! That's exactly what you're going to do! Jacobs will not hesitate in handing you over to the police and having you jailed, or killed, Sweet Pea! Or Rocket! Either you stay, or you die, that's the rules around here!"

"Well no one handed me a fucking rule book when I entered this fucking place!" I snapped, a tear running down my face. Blue looked at me angrily.

"Yeah well, no one did!" I looked at him, noticing his breathing had gone heavy as he looked away from me and at the stage. I sighed, growing angry with myself. Blue was stuck here just as much as I was, I realized.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. He looked at me, his expression turning soft as he wiped the tear away from my eye.

"I'm sorry too. I'm sorry you got stuck here. And I'm sorry there's no way out. But hey, look at the bright side, you got to meet me!" He said, grinning. I laughed. He brought me closer to him once more and the curtain was pulled back. The room grew dark and everyone went quiet. A couple of the girls I remembered from earlier came forward and began dancing. I watched them, amazed as their bodies moved to the music hypnotically. As they danced, slowly, more girls began to file in, and I saw Blondie and Amber, both of them dancing so amazingly, I found myself staring at them dance, dumbfounded. As the group dance finished, the men clapped, some of them standing up and clapping. I clapped enthusiastically and I saw Blondie look at me and wink. Blue whistled, clapping as well.

"They're amazing!" I said, once the girls left the stage and Blue sat back down.

"They work hard." He said, smiling. I couldn't believe that they did work so hard. Why work so hard when you were going to be used at the end of the night? But looking at Jacobs, I realized that it was either dance hard, or die. It frustrated me, and made me sad that this was mine and Rocket's lives now. But what choice did we have? I would rather Rocket be here, then be in jail for the rest of her life. The dances continued well into the night, some of the girls performing more than one individual dance. I tried not to pay attention to the men who were grabbing their wallets and walking over to Mr. Jacobs, who was sitting in a different corner of the circle. They would give him the money, and whoever paid the highest got the girl. Some people went up to him for different things. He would hand them bags filled with white powder, and they would give him large rolls of money. I focused on the stage, trying my absolute hardest to ignore the dealings going on around me. Blue seemed to notice my discomfort and he held me tighter, whispering in my ear.

"Just ignore it, watch the girls. You might find their dances come in handy for when you dance." He said. I nodded, turning my attention to the girls on stage. I found myself zoning in and out though, the events of the day finally taking it's toll on me. The dances ended at midnight, and everyone clapped for the girls one last time. I saw Blondie and Amber walk backstage as the other girls jumped off the stage and walked over to Mr. Jacobs, who had a small crowd of men around him. I turned away, refusing to look at them.I yawned sleepily and Blue chuckled.

"Tired?"

"Surprisingly, yes. I feel bad, I shouldn't be tired when I've done nothing all day."

"Oh come on! You walked around on crutches all day, then walked in heels with a sprained ankle, and got all dressed up and gorgeous to hang out with me. That is tiring." I nodded.

"This is true." I said, yawning again.

"Well, can you hang on for another hour or so, we can't go to bed 'till everyone else leaves." Blue said.

"Okay." I said, my eyes drooping slightly. I stayed by his side the whole night, zoning in and out the whole time. I think at one point, I began swaying, and Blue had wrapped his arm around my waist tightly to keep me steady. Finally, at around two in the morning, everyone had left and Blue was poking me to walk. But I could barely move, my vision blurry with sleep.

"Okay, here we go." He suddenly lifted me into his arms and I yelped.

"Hang on!"

"No, no 'hang on's this time. Let's go." He carried me to the girl's room, and I was too tired to argue with him. I heard him open the door with a bang and heard three squeals.

"Is everyone decent?" He yelled out. I opened my eyes and saw he had his shut tightly. I looked and saw Amber, Blondie and Rocket in their nightgowns, Blondie removing her make-up and scrunching her hair up into a bun and Amber and Rocket playing cards on Rocket's bed, their faces already removed of make-up.

"Everyone's decent by your standards, Blue." Amber said. He opened his eyes, then nodded, grinning.

"Good." He set me down on my bed and I sighed.

"You didn't have to do that."

"You were five seconds away from passing out, yes I did." He looked at the girls and grinned.

"Great job tonight, Amber, Blondie. And you too, Rocket. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Good night."

"Night, Blue."

"Night, Sweet Pea."

"Night..." I slurred. He laughed, then walked out closing the door behind him. I sighed and got up, and Rocket helped take off my corset. I shoved on my nightgown lazily, taking off the skirt and stockings and Blondie handed me a wet cloth.

"Blue's nice. I mean, he closed his eyes when he thought we were walking around naked." Rocket said. Blondie nodded.

"He's always respected all of the girls here. He's a great guy, and a clear favorite of ours." I nodded, removing my make-up as much as I could, and Blondie began laughing at me.

"What?"

"You look like it's such a task."

"You have no idea how tired I am." I said, my voice going croaky.

"What did you and Blue get up to?" She said, winking. I threw the cloth at her and she ducked it, laughing.

"Nothing, we just sat on that couch all night and conversed with people."

"I know...But he was getting a little touchy! He's never done that before!" She said.

"Yeah! He didn't do that to me on my first day here!" Amber said, winking at me.

"Oh shush, the both of you." I said, grabbing my covers and wrapping myself up underneath them.

"Blue is so into you." Blondie said.

"He is not!" I said, blushing.

"And you're into Blue!" Rocket sang.

"You're delirious!" I said. They laughed and continued playing cards, Blondie constantly singing, "Blue's got a crush on Sweet Pea!" and I eventually found it too tiring to argue with her, falling asleep for the second night in a row with a smile on my face.


	3. History

**Chapter Three**

History**  
><strong>

I woke up to the loud noise of glass crashing to the floor. I sat up in bed, my heart racing, and looked to see Rocket looking down at a glass vase, her eyes wide.

"Shit..." She whispered. I burst out laughing as she looked at me, then crossed her arms, trying not to laugh as well.

"It's not funny!"

"Yes, it is!" I said, wiping tears from my eyes. She grabbed a broom and began sweeping it. I got up and started helping her, hissing as the pain in my foot flared from last night. Rocket bit her lip.

"Last night just hurt your foot even more, didn't it?"

"A little." She chuckled and I helped sweep the broken glass into a bag. I looked at her, then the clock. It was 10 in the morning.

"Aren't you supposed to be at dance class?" I said. She nodded, then looked at me.

"I am, but Madam Gorski wanted me to come and wake you up. Blue is waiting downstairs for you."

"What are we doing today?" I asked.

"I don't know, I haven't seen him yet." She said, sighing and standing up. I put the bag in the bin, then looked at her curiously.

"What were you doing with the vase in your hand? And where did it come from?" I asked, realizing that the vase wasn't there before. Rocket bit her lip, a smile hidden behind her eyes.

"Well...I'm a bit of a klutz. And, I saw the vase on the counter...and there were flowers inside...and this..." She handed me the note and I read it.

_Sweet Pea,_

_Hope your foot is okay. You looked gorgeous last night. _

_Meet me downstairs, you and me are gonna have some fun today._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Blue Jones_

Rocket handed the flowers and I saw a dozen roses. I looked at them, speechless and Rocket grinned.

"He totally likes you."

"He does not." I whispered. She simply laughed, then kissed my cheek, hugging me tightly.

"Well, I'm off. Please, heal that foot of yours soon! I want you to start coming to dance classes!" Rocket said, pouting. I smiled.

"I'll try my best." She walked off and I quickly got changed into the least revealing thing I could find: A short pale white dress. I walked out of the room and down the stairs to the theater with the crutches, my foot throbbing. I opened the doors with my back, twirling around and losing balance.

"WHOA!" I felt someone grab me and hold me still as I grabbed the crutches for support. I looked up-

And Blue was grinning down at me.

"Hi."

"Hey!" I gasped breathlessly, my heart racing from my near fall. Blue laughed and helped me up.

"How's your foot?" He asked.

"Still painful. I think last night made it even worse." I said, biting my lip. He shook his head.

"I told Madam Gorski not to put you in those high heels...although...you did look amazing last night." He said, smiling. I smiled back at him.

"Thank you." He nodded and clapped his hands together.

"So...what do you want to do today?" He said excitedly. I laughed.

"I have no idea how this place runs, Blue. It's only my third day here."

"Ah, right, right..." He said, nodding. I watched him anxiously as he bounced on the balls of his feet, his hands over his mouth as he was deep in thought. He brightened, then grinned at me.

"How would you like to-"

"BLUE!" We both spun around as Mr. Jacobs came toward us, his face outraged over something.

"Ah, Mr. Jacobs..." Blue started nervously.

"What the hell is going on here? Why aren't you with Vera?" He said, nodding at me. I cleared my throat.

"My foot is still sore, so I can't dance." I said hollowly.

"Really? Well then why the hell are you still here?" He growled angrily. I looked at him disbelievingly.

"Excuse me?"

"We don't keep things here that don't have a purpose. You don't dance, you don't have a purpose."

"Fine, I'll be glad to leave!"

"NO! NO! She's just joking, Mr. Jacobs, she's just kidding, the old slugger!" Blue yelled suddenly, chuckling nervously. I went to say that I meant exactly what I said, but Blue grabbed my hand and gripped it tightly as if to say "STOP TALKING RIGHT NOW!"

"She'll be dancing in a couple of days, when her ankle heals. I was actually just about to show her to the kitchen so she can help the cook out, you know, while her foot is healing and all..." Blue said, smiling. Jacobs sighed, then shrugged.

"Whatever. Just make sure she starts pulling her weight around here, or else you know what'll happen, Blue."

"She's going to the kitchens right now, I promise."

"Alright." Jacobs walked off and I looked at Blue angrily.

"What the hell was that about!"

"Come with me, cool down, come on." He led me back upstairs to the balcony where we had gone on my first night in the brothel. I sighed angrily as Blue closed the doors behind up.

"Care to explain?"

"Jacobs doesn't like keeping people around who...don't do anything around here."

"I can't do anything with a sprained ankle, Blue!" I hissed.

"I know, I know...but Jacobs has always been like that. And going against him like that is gonna get you killed. So you need to calm down, okay? Be careful of what you say to him. He's a dangerous man to screw around with." He said, loosening his tie around his neck. I looked at him curiously.

"You're really afraid of him, aren't you?"

"No, I'm afraid of you getting killed for not keeping your mouth closed." He said, chuckling softly.

"Would he really kill me just for talking back to him?" I whispered. Blue swallowed loudly, then looked at me.

"Like I said...he's a dangerous man." He said hollowly. I noticed a distant, but tragic look in his eyes and I sighed.

"It's happened before...hasn't it?" I asked. He sighed, but nodded slowly.

"One girl...Ramona...she broke her wrist during dance practice. We wrapped it up, and she was fine... and Jacobs made her dance the next night. She refused to do it though, saying he was a pig and that he deserved to die, for trying to make a woman do what she didn't want to do. Next thing we knew, a gunshot rang through the place and Ramona was on the floor, blood pooling all around her body. We were all just frozen in shock, we couldn't believe what had happened. Madam Gorski collapsed to the floor, crying. And I just stood there and watched Jacobs with that big smirk on his face and all I wanted to do was slap it right off him. Then a year later, those 3 girls had just escaped the brothel, and he found out. He called the police, told them that they had killed 5 guards within the place and that they were extremely dangerous. We heard three gunshots, very far away, but very loud. The police carried their bodies back, and they were buried just outside the brothel, right next to Ramona. Jacobs gave the men money to keep their mouths shut. And that was that. That day...it changed everything. Everyone became afraid of him...none of us dared to go against him. And that day, he realized he had power over all of us. And that's when the rules started breaking out. We're tightly bound, Sweet Pea. Everyone here is just, bound, by his rules. And there's no way out. We can't leave. We can't do anything. We're all just...stuck."

Blue sighed loudly as I stared at him, trying to take in all that he had just said.

"Well..." I started, my voice cracking. Blue smiled at me.

"Come on, let's go inside. We'll get you working in the kitchens for starters."


	4. Tomorrow Never Knows

**Chapter Four**

Tomorrow Never Knows

It became a routine. For two whole weeks, Blue would wait downstairs for me every morning, and we would work in the kitchens together. I would be his 'girl' for the dance nights, until, finally, my ankle had healed one hundred percent, and Blue came to my room instead of waiting downstairs, asking me to hold my leg out.

Blue rolled my ankle around with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, you're good to go. Madam Gorski's going to want you down at the studio immediately to start practicing a routine." He frowned and I smiled, chuckling lightly.

"You gonna miss me?" I said, jokingly. He looked up at me and smiled.

"Yeah, I am." He whispered. I swallowed, my heart racing as I stared into his deep brown eyes, which were filled with what looked like sadness and regret.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

"Nothing, nothing..." He said, shaking his head and bowing it. I was sitting on the bed as he held my ankle, his head at my knees. He rested his forehead on my knee and I touched my hand lightly to his hair, brushing it.

"Doesn't seem like it." I said. He sighed.

"I'm feeling things...feelings things I shouldn't be feeling. These past two weeks with you, have been the best in my entire life. I'm closer to you than I've ever been with anyone in this entire building...and..." He sighed, then looked up at me.

"I don't know how to stop what I'm feeling." He whispered. He leaned closer to me and my heart stopped, then picked up in double pace. I knew what he was about to do. I should've seen it coming for weeks. But I found myself cupping his cheek with my hand and leaning closer to him as well, his hand gripping my elbow as his lips came within inches of mine-

"Hey, Sweet Pea, Madam Gorski's saying that- oh!" I immediately pushed Blue back and leaned away from him as Amber entered the room. She turned bright red and turned back around, then back to us, then back to the door, unsure of what to do.

"Um, Madam Gorski said she wants to see you in the dance studio as soon as possible." Amber said at top speed, barely breathing.

"Okay!" I said, my voice high-pitched. Amber nodded and walked out, shutting the door behind her and Blue chuckled. I sighed, running a hand through my hair as the words 'Madam Gorski' and 'dance studio' brought me up to speed on what I had just been about to do.

"We can't do this. We're Jacobs employees and I'm supposed to dance, and get him business, and I can't do that if there's you-" I rambled, but Blue shushed me, then kissed my forehead.

"I know." He whispered into my hair. He held out his hand and took mine.

"Let's get you down to the dance studio." He whispered.

* * *

><p>I could barely focus on the dancing, my mind filled with my previous meeting with Blue. What if Amber had never interrupted us? What if myself and Blue really had kissed? What would've happened?<p>

_Nothing would've happened. There is no future for you and Blue, Sweet Pea. _I thought.

"Sweet Pea, focus." Rocket whispered to me. Roxanne, one of the older girls, was teaching us the group dance. The steps were slightly complicated, but after hours of practice, I started to get the steps down pat. I probably would've been able to memorize them straight away, if my mind was so focused on my almost-kiss with Blue.

"Sorry." I whispered back to her. We rehearsed for a couple of more hours before finally, when the clock hit 6 and my whole body was aching and covered with sweat, Madam Gorski walked in and told us to eat and get ready for bed. She smiled at me as the others began filing out of the dance studio. Rocket stayed behind with me.

"You are good." She said. I smiled at her.

"Thanks." I panted, pouring water from the small tap in the corner of the studio into a tiny cup.

"I'm glad you and Rocket have adapted so quickly." She said. I nodded and Rocket grinned.

"We are too." She said. I threw the tiny cup into the bin next to the tap.

"I'll see you girls tomorrow." She said, looking at me and Rocket. She left and I sighed.

"What's been going on with you today, Sweet Pea?" She said softly. I sighed and looked at her.

"Me and Blue almost kissed." I said. She gasped, then grinned widely.

"What? How was he!" She said.

"I said 'almost'!" I exclaimed. Her enthusiasm dropped.

"Naw! That sucks!"

"It's good we didn't! Rocket, we can't be together, me and him! We're both Jacob's employees and we work in a brothel! Have you ever heard of a relationship within a brothel?" I said, sighing. She shrugged.

"You two are so cute though! And he's so into you! I mean, can't you just, I dunno, start a relationship without him knowing?"

"NO! Are you kidding me, no! Jacobs is a dangerous guy! If he finds out, we're dead! I can't risk that!"

"Sweet Pea, I have never seen you so...involved with a guy like this before! I know you like him and I know he likes you! Jacobs won't find out! As long as you're careful and you're smart about it, he won't! Just try it! And if it doesn't work-"

"Then we can end it and have a constant awkwardness between us?" I said hollowly. She shook her head.

"You can be friends!"

"Rocket, drop it, okay?"

"Ugh fine!" She stormed off and I sighed, pressing my head against the mirror and breathing in deeply, trying to calm myself.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I gasped and wheeled around to see Blue leaning against the door, his arms crossed and a smile on his face. I sighed. Great, the last person I wanted to see right now.

Or was he?

I ignored him, turning back to the mirror. He walked over to me slowly, his hands in his pockets.

"Listen...what happened in the room today..."

"Was nothing, I know. It was a mistake and it was stupid, and it won't happen again." I went to leave, but he held his hand against the wall, blocking my exit.

"No. It wasn't a mistake. And if Amber hadn't interrupted, I know for a fact, I would've kissed you." I sighed, my heart hammering in my chest and I took deep breaths, trying to calm down. He lifted his hand to my cheek, brushing it lightly as he looked down at me.

"Truth is, Sweet Pea...I don't give a damn. About Jacobs, about this brothel, about your dancing, or anything. All I know is that I care about you. And I want there to be something between us because...because you and I both know that there's something between us already."

"Blue..." I started. He shook his head.

"I know you're scared. You don't want Jacobs to find out. And neither do I. But I mean, we've stayed under the radar so far, right? We can do this! We can keep this from him!"

"No, you don't understand, Blue!" I said, stepping back from him. He stepped forward.

"What don't I understand?" He asked.

"Jacobs is making us stay here, FOREVER. We can't get out! How are we supposed to be in love, and have a relationship, when we're stuck in here! And what about if this works out? What if we completely fall in love with each other, and then when I turn 25, Jacobs starts making me do the 'other business'? What will you do? Will you okay with the fact that you're girlfriend, that the woman you love, is sleeping with other men do get another man money?" I rambled, finally letting everything that I'd been dying to say all day off my chest. I tried taking deep breaths, but I found it hard.

"No, no, no, Sweet Pea, don't cry..." He whispered softly. I hadn't even realized tears had leaked from my eyes until he hugged me tightly, wiping a tear away from my cheek before he did.

"Sweet Pea, this is meant to be...I can feel it! Let's just try it! I mean, there's no guarantee it's going to work out!"

"Then why bother!" I exclaimed, my voice muffled by his shoulder.

"Because it might be worth it in the end." He said softly.

"I-" He didn't give me time to answer. He let me go, then placed his hand under my chin and forced my head up lightly, his lips meeting mine lightly at first, then hungrily, his hands embracing my face as he deepened the kiss. I gasped wildly, pressing myself closer against him. I hadn't realized how badly I truly had wanted to kiss him.

Until now.

Finally, after what felt like hours, he backed off slowly, removing his lips from mine, his breath wild as he stepped back. I looked at him, giggling slightly in euphoria.

"I think it's safe to say that changed your mind." He breathed.

"Maybe..." I whispered. He laughed, then kissed me once more, lightly this time. He winked at me, and stepped away from me, moving toward the doorway as I stood frozen where I was, shock still coursing through my veins.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow." I nodded and he laughed.

"See you around."

"Bye." I whispered. He left and it took me about three hours to finally realize I was frozen in shock for a lot longer then I thought. I finally stopped thinking about the kiss, and picked myself up, heading over to the girls bedroom, where Rocket was staring at me with wide eyes.

"Hello! Where have you been!"

"Um...nowhere. Just...around...and stuff..." I nodded, clearing my throat and entering the bathroom. I quickly took a shower, then hopped onto my bed, burying my face into my pillow and falling asleep with a massive grin on my face.


	5. Love Is The Drug

**Chapter Five**

Love Is The Drug

I walked down the hall toward the dance studio, picking at the tangle in my hair that refused to untangle. I sighed in frustration, tugging at it. I had finally gotten rid of it and was brushing my hands through it when I felt someone grasp my arm and tug me to the left. I gasped wildly, a scream building up in my lungs until I felt a hand cover my mouth. I adjusted myself-

and saw Blue standing in front of me, grinning widely.

"Blue!" I whispered, laughing as he looked down the hall to see if anyone was coming.

"HI!" He whispered, kissing me lightly. I kissed him back, my heart feeling a little crazy as I pulled away from him.

"What are you doing? I'm late as it is! Madam Gorski is going to kill me!"

"I know, I wanted to wish you good luck for tonight. I heard your dancing." He said.

"Yeah, but only for the group routine in the beginning. After that I'm not doing anything." I said playfully, tugging at his collar. He laughed and kissed my cheek, working his way down toward my lips.

"Well, how about, I request you to be my 'it' girl once more?" He said. I looked at him.

"And will I be your 'it' girl every Tuesday and Friday night?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I can make it happen. Everyone is so used to seeing you with me at the shows, so we might as well continue that." I squealed and hugged him tightly, kissing him feverently.

"God I would love that!" He chuckled, then kissed my forehead.

"So, go dance, get ready, and I'll see you tonight after your dance."

"Right." I said, exhaling deeply. Nerves tingled in my stomach. He seemed to notice the look on my face.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just nervous. It's the first time I'm going up there..."

"You'll be great. I know you will. I'll see you after the show." He kissed me once more, then walked off. I was frozen for quite some time before I remembered I was late to dance class. I ran as fast I could to the dance studio, bursting through the doors. Madam Gorski looked up at me.

"You're late." She said sternly.

"I'm so sorry, Madam Gorski. I completely lost track of time and..."

"The show is tonight, Sweet Pea! We have a lot of work to do! I can't afford you being late like this again." She walked up to me, lowering her voice.

"If Jacobs finds out about this, who knows what he'll do! You better hope the other girls don't tell on you! Now get in formation and start practicing!" She hissed. I sighed, but followed her order, jumping into the line and beginning to dance.

* * *

><p>"Sweet Pea, you'll be fine."<p>

"You're great in practices, everything's gonna be okay." Blondie and Amber were both consoling me, but it didn't settle my nerves. I felt sick.

"Oh man...you look like you're going to hurl." Blondie said, biting her lip.

"I'm fine." I whispered.

"You're all up ladies, now get out there!" Madam Gorski scurried us on stage. My mind seemed to go into a blank shock, and I started panicking that I wouldn't remember the steps, and I would ruin the whole thing. My heart was beating like crazy, but I spotted Blue in the audience, smiling at me. My nerves seemed to go away at once. My heart inflated and I smiled back at him, and the moves came to me like they were nothing. The dance began, and I kept my eyes on Blue. He was my sanctuary. When the dance ended, I walked backstage, my heart racing as Blondie hugged me from behind.

"You were amazing!" She said, giggling with glee. I smiled.

"Thank you." I panted. The door opened and Blue stepped in, grinning at me.

"Come with me, milady!" He said, bowing. I laughed and Blondie winked at me as I walked over to him. We had barely walked five steps away from the dance studio when he pinned me up against the wall and kissed me fiercely.

"Blue!" I panted, as he pulled away.

"What?" He breathed, excitement glinting in his eyes.

"What if someone sees us?"

"No one's gonna see us for the whole night. We're getting a private room to ourselves!"

"Okay..." I bit my lip as he took my hand and led me away. We climbed up the stairs as he stopped every so often, looking around for guards. We entered an empty room and he locked the door, smiling at me. I sat down on the bed and he lay down next to me, sighing. I lay down next to him and he kissed my forehead.

"See? Alone time!" He said, smiling. I grinned and kissed him.

"You know...we are alone." He said. I grinned.

"I know." I grabbed him, kissing him deeply as I began unbuttoning his shirt, his hands fumbling with the ties behind my back that were holding the corset around my chest...

* * *

><p><strong>3 Hours Later<strong>

"Shit..."

I tried to repress my giggles as Blue pressed his head against my shoulder, bursting with laughter.

"I don't know how to lace this!" He whispered as I roared with repressed laughter.

"Just tie it!" I told him.

"Okay okay! Fuck, how do you tie this shit..."

"Oh my god!" I said, laughing.

"Oh whatever, there!" He kissed my shoulder as I turned and straightened his tie, kissing him.

"Okay, we have to go!" I said.

"Quietly!" He whispered, pressing a finger to his lips. I giggled as I opened the door slowly, peering outside.

"BOO!" Blue said, grabbing my hips. I squealed, then slapped his arm.

"Don't do that!" I said, as he laughed.

"Okay, okay i'm sorry." We creeped out and he kissed me before brushing my hair back and kissing my forehead delicately.

"Okay, I'm going downstairs, you go down to the studio, okay?"

"I love you." I whispered.

"Yeah yeah. I love you, too." He said, rolling his eyes. I slapped him lightly on the shoulder and he laughed, winking at me. I walked away, looking back at him as he turned the corner, humming to himself. I ran down the stairs, looking quickly in a mirror and noticed that I looked like a mess.

"Shit." I quickly tried to make myself look decent, my heart racing with what had just happened.

I was euphoric. I felt like my heart couldn't possibly contain any more happiness. I walked away from the mirror, smiling widely as I hummed to myself. It took me a while to realize that something was off.

The place was quiet.

Way too quiet.

And then-

BANG!

Screams echoed down the hallway as a gunshot echoed across the hallway. My heart plummeted.

"Rocket..."I muttered. I ran as fast as I could down the hallway, opening the backstage door.

It was chaos. Everyone was screaming and running-

And Jacobs was standing at the base of it all, a gun in his hand and a smirk on his face.

"ROCKET!" I yelled, looking over the heads of the people running. I spotted her huddled in the corner with Blondie and Amber, all three of them shaking with fear, tears running down their cheeks. I ran over to them.

"Rocket!"

"Sweet Pea!" She threw her arms around me and I hugged her tightly, grabbing Blondie and Amber as well.

"What's happened?"

"R-Roxanne, he...he j-just..."

"Shh, it's okay! It's okay!" I turned looking down at the floor where Jacobs was, and my heart skipped a beat.

"Roxanne lay on the floor at Jacob's feet, a bullet in her head, her eyes wide and staring as blood pooled around her body.

"Oh god..." I whispered, closing my eyes.

"SETTLE DOWN! NOW!" Jacobs roared. My eyes snapped open as anger flew through my body.

"Sweet Pea..." I turned and saw Blue standing beside me, his eyes wide with horror.

"Blue..." I whispered. He shook his head and walked forward...

Toward Jacobs.

"NO!" I yelled out. I went to stop him, but Blondie grabbed my arm.

"Do you want him to shoot you, too?" She said, through tears.

"Jacobs, what're you doing, man?" Blue said, his voice shaking.

"Well, Roxanne decided to do something that I didn't really approve of, so I thought I'd just, you know...REMIND EVERYONE! OF WHO THE BOSS IS AROUND HERE!" He roared, holding the gun in his hand tighter. Madam Gorski was crying in the corner, looking at Roxanne's body in horror. Everyone grew silent, watching Jacobs with anguish and despair.

"Message delivered. Put the gun down, Jacobs. Come on, man. You got us. We're listening. We're here, we know you're in charge. Put it down, it's over."

He slapped Blue across the face, the sound echoing throughout the entire room. Blue fell to the floor, clutching his cheek. I growled and ran forward, but once again, Blondie grabbed me, along with Amber.

"Stop!" They hissed. I threw them off and sat down next to Blue, holding him as he looked at me with tears in his eyes. His cheek was red.

"Step away from him." I felt something push against the side of my head. I froze, my heart skipping a beat.

"NO!" Rocket's voice broke out from behind me and I gasped.

"Get away from him! NOW!" I heard a gun cocking and I stepped away from Blue, walking back toward Rocket, Blondie and Amber.

"There we go." He said, smiling at me. He looked at his guards.

"You, get her out of here." He said, pointing at Roxanne's body.

"The rest of you, let this be a lesson learned. Get out of my face. NOW! GET OUT OF HERE!" Blue got up and walked out straight away. My heart was torn. I wanted to walk with Rocket, but the rest of me wanted to check on Blue.

"Go, we've got Rocket." Blondie whispered in my ear as we walked out of the studio.

"Thank you." I whispered back. She smiled sadly, wrapping an arm around Rocket's waist as I ran ahead, pushing everyone aside as I tried to catch up to Blue. I found him walking upstairs and I followed him.

"Blue!" I called out. He turned.

"What're you doing?" He hissed. I gasped. His cheek was swollen, and a cut was forming on his jaw.

"Son of a bitch..." I whispered.

"Go to bed, Sweet Pea. If he catches you-"

"I don't care." I said.

"Do you think I want you joining Roxanne?" He said. I walked up to him and hugged him.

"I'm not going anywhere." I whispered. He sighed and pulled away, brushing my hair out of my face. He smiled.

"I love you. So much." He said, sighing. He kissed my forehead.

"But you need to go to bed." He said, chuckling.

"Blue..."

"I'm fine. Don't worry. It's just a cut. And a bruise. I'll be fine." I sighed but nodded.

"Go be with Rocket. She needs you more then I do."

"What makes you say that?" I said. He sighed.

"Because she thought this place was a haven...and now it's turned into a hell." He said. My stomach lurched as I remembered that Rocket knew nothing of the behind the scenes business in the brothel. How Jacobs had murdered three girls who had attempted to escape before...

"Oh god..." I whispered.

"Go." He said. I nodded and walked away, kissing him lightly as I left.


	6. Hell

**Chapter Six**

Hell

I walked into the bedroom hesitantly, and saw all the girls comforting each other, crying over their lost friend. My eyes sought the young girl in the corner, curled up and crying.

"Rocket..." I whispered. I sat next to her and she looked at me.

"Why did he kill her?" She whispered.

"I...I didn't want to tell you, but...there's some really bad stuff that happens here, Rocket...Jacobs, he's involved in drugs and weaponry and god knows what else. He thinks he's 'the man'. And he thinks he controls all of us."

"Well he kind of does, doesn't he! He just ended Roxanne's life without batting an eye!" Rocket said hysterically.

"Shh..." I whispered, hugging her tightly. She cried into my shoulder.

"What have we landed ourselves into, Sweet Pea?" She whispered brokenly.

"We're gonna be okay. I promise."

"Don't play...Don't play..." She whispered, shaking her head. I gripped her chin and forced her to look at me.

"We're going to be okay." I said through gritted teeth. She hiccoughed.

"Guys, you should get into bed. We don't want Jacobs finding an excuse to off you guys too." Blondie said. I got up and noticed she was shaking.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." She pursed her lips and tears brimmed her eyes. I hugged her tightly.

"Blondie..." I whispered. She wrapped her arms around my waist softly. I felt warm hands wrap around Blondie and touch my left arm, and my face was obscured by chocolate/dark brown curls.

Amber.

Rocket joined us afterwards and we stayed hugging each other for over 5 minutes. Not moving. Just comforting each other.

"Ladies, lights out-" I looked up and saw Madam Gorski and Blue at the door. Madam Gorski was shaking, tears still falling down her cheeks. Blue's face was emotionless, but I noticed the pain in his eyes. I slowly unwrapped myself from the girls and walked over to him.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"I'm fine." He said, smiling at me. Madam Gorski looked at us, and sighed.

"You're playing a dangerous game, you two. If Jacobs found out..."

"I know..." Blue whispered, his eyes not leaving mine. He kissed my forehead lightly.

"Sleep next to your sister tonight. She looks ready to fall apart." He said. I nodded reluctantly. I really wanted to be with him. But Rocket needed me. He winked at me, smiling sadly.

"Good night, ladies."

"Goodnight, Blue." They all mumbled. He walked down the hallway and out of sight.

I looked over at Madam Gorski, who walked into the room and held her arms out to us all.

We all rushed forward, hugging her tightly.

"I love all of you girls. And Roxanne will always be remembered, as long as we never forget her." She said, her accent thickening even more due to the tears in her eyes. The girls slowly dispersed, tucking themselves into their beds. I went to Rocket's, but Madam Gorski stopped me.

"He is a good man, with a pure heart. You are a good girl, with a pure heart. You are a match made in heaven, but you do not habituate in such a place. You are in hell. Do you understand me? You two are perfect for each other, but where you are is not where you are meant to be." And with that, she kissed my forehead on the exact same spot Blue kissed mine, and she walked out, murmuring goodnight to all the girls before closing the door and walking out.

As I curled up next to Rocket, my arm wrapped around her shoulders, Madam Gorski's words kept swimming in my mind. And slowly, I began to realize what she was trying to tell me.

I needed to escape.

I needed to get out of this place.

And I needed to take Blue with me.

No sooner had the thought crossed my mind when I pushed it away.

It was ridiculous.

No one could escape.

Roxanne simply voiced her opinion, and it was the last thing she ever said.

So how in the world was I supposed to escape here, with Blue, Rocket, Blondie, Amber, and all the other girls in the brothel?

No...if I were to even attempt an escape, I couldn't bring all the girls in the brothel. It would be near impossible.

It would just have to be Rocket and Blue.

But the thought of leaving behind Amber and Blondie made my heart stop and ache with pain.

Those girls had become my sisters.

I couldn't leave them here. Not with Jacobs.

So they HAD to come with us.

And what about Madam Gorski? I couldn't leave her here either.

I sighed loudly and felt Rocket stir next to me.

Slowly, but surely, I feel into a deep sleep.

But the dreams that occupied my mind were ones I had never experienced before.

_Myself, Blondie, Amber, Rocket and an unknown girl with blonde pigtails. We were fighting in trenches, battling these disgusting creatures that looked like flesh eaten monsters. But they could not touch us. We had weapons beyond the imaginable. Guns strapped to our backs, we entered another trench, myself pulling a machine gun from my back and firing to my hearts content. One monster knocked me from behind and I hit the floor headfirst. My vision swimming with tears of pain, I heard someone cry my name and heard gunfire. When I turned and slowly got up, Rocket was nodding at me, smiling. Rocket ran ahead, shooting the enemies with no fear, only anger and determination. Blondie fought the monsters with a small axe, throwing it with such force at one monster that he flipped backwards, landing on his front. The girl with the blonde pigtails was slashing at the enemies with a samurai sword, a pistol in one hand, firing at enemies too far away from her blade's reach. Amber was behind her, although she was up high in a mechanic robot, controlling the robot to shoot at the enemies. The girl with the blonde pigtails looked at me, blood marking her face as she pulled her samurai sword from a monsters heart._

_"Come on, Sweet Pea. The bunker is this way. Rocket's going the right way. We just gotta follow her." _

_I looked at her, bemused._

_"Who are you?" She looked at me, just as confused, and laughed._

_"Suffering a little amnesia from the blow to the head, Sweet Pea? It's me, B-"_

I woke with a start, my heart racing as I gasped and sat up in bed quicker than usual. My heart refused to slow down, no matter how many deep breaths I took.

Why was I reacting to dramatically to a simple dream?

Perhaps it was all the grief and terror from everything that had happened?

I slowly lay back down in Rocket's bed, the dream slowly fading to the back of my mind. But one question kept coming to me, no matter how hard I tried not to think about it.

Who was the girl with the blonde pigtails?


	7. Right Through Me

**Short one here guys sorry.  
><strong>

**Chapter Seven**

Right Through Me

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight...two, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..."

I followed the steps as quickly as I could, but as a dark figure appeared at the door, we all froze.

"Ladies, ladies...how are you all?" Jacobs stood at the door, walking in slowly and smiling at us all.

As if he was not affected at all by the fact that there was one less girl in the group thanks to him. I grit my teeth, trying not to lash out at him in anger.

"Now girls...Keep up the good work, okay? I've heard from a good source that we're going to have a packed night on Friday!" He walked over to Madam Gorski.

"We'll have Roxanne's replacement in soon." He whispered. Madam Gorski stiffened, nodding slightly, but not saying anything. He started to leave the room. I growled under my breath.

He stopped in his tracks, walking over to me.

"Is there a problem, Sweet Pea?" I opened my mouth, but saw out of the corner of my eye, Madam Gorski shake her head. I sighed.

"No, nothing..." He stopped behind me, and slowly, raised his hand to brush the hair away from my shoulder.

"I didn't think so..." He whispered in my ear, his hand trailing down my arm. I fought the urge to punch him in the face.

"Jacobs. You're needed downstairs." I looked to the door and saw Blue standing there, anger in his eyes at the sight of Jacobs with his hands all over me. I gave him an apologetic look. He shook his head.

"Ah...how unfortunate." He grabbed my hair, curling it in his fingers.

"I would've liked to stay...watch the girls work so hard at their dances..." My heart started to beat wildly as Jacobs began trailing his hands all over my body.

"You know, Sweet Pea...I have to admit...you are one gorgeous girl..." He whispered. My breath became ragged as I tried to contain my anger. Rocket, Blondie and Amber were watching Jacobs with anger. Madam Gorski was not looking at us, her eyes closed. All the other girls were pretending not to notice, continuing their dances, but I saw them watching us in the mirror, their eyes sympathetic.

"And the even funnier thing is...you're all mine." He said, laughing loudly. He placed his hands around my waist, his hands running over the exposed skin on my stomach.

"I'm dreading the day you turn 25..." He whispered.

I closed my eyes, trying my hardest to imagine that it was Blue's hands trailing down my spine, sniffing my hair, running his hands on my neck...

"Jacobs." Blue said sternly. Jacobs growled in my ear, then finally turned away.

"Yes, I'm coming." He left the room, and I was left shaking in the middle of the room, tears falling down my eyes. Madam Gorski immediately came running up to me.

"Take the rest of the day off. Go."

"I can't...if he sees me..." I whispered.

"Then stay hidden..." She said.

"I...I-I..."

"Sweet Pea..." It was his voice that did it. I collapsed to the floor, and he caught me. As effortlessly as if he were catching a falling tissue.

"I know...come on, it's okay..." He lifted me into his arms and I didn't object. I cried into his shoulder as he carried me out of the room, stopping every now and then. We reached his room and he locked the door, laying me down on his bed. He lay down next to me and I curled up next to him.

"I know..."

"How?" I gasped out.

"Because I know you. And I know what you're feeling..." He whispered, kissing my hair.

"That murderer...just the thought of his hands on me...those same hands that killed Roxanne so easily..." I gasped out.

"Shhh...I know..."

"And the way he said I was all his...like I was his object..."

"You're no one's object. He doesn't own you..." Blue whispered.

"Are you sure about that? He could kill anyone of us if he got the chance..."

"No...he can hurt us, but he can never break our will...I mean look at us! We're together! We love each other! We're defying him right now by being together!"

I smiled. He placed his hand underneath my chin, raising my eyes to look at him gently. His fingers caressed the skin under my eyes.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" He asked.

"No...I had this strange dream and I couldn't sleep for the rest of the night after it."

"What was it about?"

"I...can't remember." I whispered. The details were foggy. Only one thing I could remember was the girl with the blonde pigtails.

"Strange."

"I know...The only thing I can remember is this girl with blonde pigtails. I...I don't know, it's strange."

"Come on, get some sleep."

"I love you." I murmured, closing my eyes. He brushed my hair back, kissing my forehead.

"I love you, too."


	8. Birthday Wishes

**Chapter Eight **

Birthday Wishes**  
><strong>

I woke with a start and felt a heartbeat under my right hand. Pushing myself up slowly, I saw Blue watching me, a smile slowly creeping onto his face.

"Morning." He whispered. I looked outside and saw the sun setting on the horizon.

"Morning?" I said, giggling. He grinned.I sat up, releasing the band holding my hair up.

"How long was I out?" I asked blearily.

"Not sure. A couple of hours I think." He said, sitting up and brushing my hair from my face. He tucked it over my ear, smiling. I sighed and kissed him softly, pushing him back down on the bed. We broke apart after a while and Blue sighed.

"It's hard to believe how different I was less than a month ago." He whispered. I looked at him.

"What do you mean?" He sighed and looked at me.

"Well, before you came and changed my entire life..." He winked at me, then looked up at the ceiling, "I was...different."

"How so?" I asked. He sighed.

"I was withdrawn. And depressed. Before Jacobs started running the place...it belonged to my father. And, Sweet Pea...when my father used to run this place...it was hardly a brothel. It was like an orphanage. Anyone who wasn't wanted in the outside could come in and he would give them a job. If the girls really wanted to do the 'sex' part of the job, he'd let them. We only had a couple of girls, but we still had customers. Mostly they came for the show. Only some would actually buy the girls out. And my dad didn't like it when they did. But the girls didn't mind. That was the lifestyle they had chosen. And they didn't mind. So my father decided that if they could get him money doing what they love doing, why not just provide a home for them? So he let them stay here. And that's how the business ran. The girls would dance. The girls who were involved with the sex part of the job would do their own dances. People would come and get drunk, watch the show. It was like heaven. There were no drugs. No weapons..."

He sighed, smiling slightly.

"It really was an orphanage. People used to come all the time from the outside, asking for cleaning jobs, or bartending jobs. And he'd open the place up for them...And then it happened. He got diagnosed with cancer, and he was gone within a year. I was only 15 at the time, hardly old enough to run a brothel...so Jacobs, the main bartender, took over. And then everything began to change...at first, everything was fine. The place ran almost exactly the same as when my father ran it. Then the rules broke out, and people started getting uncomfortable...and then that whole ordeal with Ramona and the three girls changed everything..."

I kissed his neck sympathetically and he cleared it, touching my cheek and looking at me.

"And...when my father passed away, I started rocking this really horrible dark look. I had hair that went down to my shoulders, and I wore dark clothing all the time. I was a shadow in the walls...my presence barely known. And I would've been happy to continue living that way, but Jacobs...he wasn't having it. He threatened to kick me out if I didn't change my look and...I can't leave. This is my father's home and those girls...they're my friends. My family. I can't abandon them. I can't leave Vera to look after them all by herself. So I changed my look, but my personality I was determined to keep the same. But then you came...this little bubble of optimism...and you changed everything. And now I realize...I don't give a damn what Jacobs thinks...this isn't his place. He doesn't run this place. This is MY place. Rightfully. And I think...I think it's about time we had a change in the staff system, don't you?"

I nodded deeply, imagining Blue as the head of the brothel. He could change so much...he could make this place better. We could get married, and have kids...he could stop the brothel from running altogether, and just have it as a showplace. A theater. Like his father used to...

"You should be in charge." I whispered. He nodded.

"I know. It'll happen, one day. I know it." I nodded with him and he smiled.

"So I just bared my soul to you...your turn. How did you get here? You never told me what Rocket did..." He said. I sighed.

"Rocket ran away from home. And I...I went after her. I couldn't let her be by herself in this world. I needed to keep her safe. That's my job, as her older sister. So, I followed her. We were living on the streets for awhile, and we were starving. Rocket decided to try and steal some bread from a baker, and he saw her. He grabbed a knife, threatened her. And she fought him off, and grabbed the knife off him. And then the next thing I knew, she was running out of the store, covered in blood and crying. I tried to calm her down, but I didn't have time. She had barely left the shop when we heard the police sirens. I think one of the neighboring stores heard the fight and called the cops. Anyway...we ran. We ran as fast as we could, and then we reached this gate. Rocket climbed over it, and I tried, but I fell. That's how I hurt my ankle. And then the cops reached up, and there Jacobs was, paying $3000 to the guy for each of us. And he brought us here."

I sighed, and Blue kissed my forehead.

"There's nothing either of you could do. It was self defense." I nodded, smiling, but a tear escaped my eye. He brushed it away.

"Come on, let's go back."

We walked out of his room, our hands laced as we walked back to the dance studio and found the girls huddled around Blondie.

"Happy Birthday, dear Blondie. Happy Birthday to you."

My heart dropped. Blondie's 20th Birthday. I had completely forgotten after what had happened to Roxanne. She was smiling, but I noticed she was crying as well. I walked up to her and wrapped my arm around her.

"Make a wish, Blondie." I whispered. She looked at me.

"What I want is something I don't think I can get." She said. Somehow, in my heart, I knew what it was she wanted.

She wanted Roxanne back.

"Maybe not...what's the second thing you want more than anything?" I whispered. She looked at me, then closed her eyes and turned back to the cake. She whispered it so quietly, nobody heard her but me.

"I want to escape from here. With Sweet Pea, and Amber, and Rocket, and everyone. I want Jacobs gone." She whispered. She blew the candles on the cake and everyone clapped. I hugged Blondie tightly and felt Rocket and Amber hugging us from either side. Our little group of four, embracing each other.

But I felt like someone was missing.

I couldn't put my finger on it, but my mind suddenly was filled with the image of a girl with blonde pigtails and bright blue eyes. I sighed and kissed Blondie's forehead.

"Happy Birthday." I whispered. She smiled.

"Thank you."


	9. Wanted

**Chapter Nine  
><strong>

Wanted**  
><strong>

_3 weeks later_

"Great job ladies! Go get some food and some rest!" Madam Gorski called out. Everyone immediately filed out of the room and I sighed.

"Great..." Madam Gorski laughed.

"Stuck with radio duties again, Sweet Pea?" She said, cocking an eyebrow. I smiled.

"I'm too slow."

"Perhaps next time you'll be faster." She said, smiling. She left the room and I sighed, walking over to the radio on top of the table in front of the mirror. I unhooked the cable and started wrapped it around the radio.

"I was hoping I would find you here." I turned around, gasping.

Jacobs was standing at the door, a huge smirk on his face. My heart stopped beating. I didn't reply, instead I turned and continued wrapping the cable. I heard his footsteps and my breath quickened.

"I've been thinking...about you. A lot. I think you're one of the only girls in this place that's caught my eye." He was right behind me. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. I still didn't reply, but my hands were frozen on the cable. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't escape.

"Hmm..." His hand trailed up my left arm. Goosebumps erupted on my skin and I shivered. He laughed in my ear.

"That's the desired affect." He whispered. Suddenly, red-hot anger erupted inside me, and I found my voice.

"Don't. Touch. Me." I growled. He stopped, and I could practically feel the shock and anger radiating from his body.

"I can do whatever the hell I want with you. You're mine." He hissed.

"You don't own me." I said, turning around and facing him. My hands balled into fists. He laughed.

"I bought you for $1500. You are mine." He wrapped his arm around my waist, thrusting me forward against him. I pushed him back.

"I said don't touch me!" I yelled. He laughed, but I heard the anger in his laugh. He grabbed my hair, pulling me toward him. He grabbed me, lifting me into his arms and pushing me against the table. The radio crashed to the floor, breaking. I slapped him across the face, the sound echoing in the room loudly.

"Oh, is that right? That's how you're gonna play it?" Jacobs yelled. I slapped him again, tears falling down my eyes. He pushed me up against the wall, the back of my neck hitting the glass mirror. I heard it break and my vision became blurry. A dull ache echoed in the back of my head. Jacobs was pressing himself against me and I couldn't fight him off. My head was aching, my whole body sore from trying to fight him off. I could feel blood dripping down my back.

"HELP!" I yelled. Jacobs laughed.

"Oh shut it. No one can hear you!" He said.

The door crashed open.

Jacobs turned.

So did I.

Through my blurry vision, I could see two people standing at the doorway.

Her signature bun on top of her beautiful head, and her illustrious curves stood out.

Madam Gorski.

And the man.

I knew it before I even looked.

_Blue._

"Jacobs!" Blue roared.

"Fuckin' hell..." Jacobs whispered. He let go of me, backing away from me.

"What the hell are you doing?" Blue said, his voice shaking with anger. I felt warm hands wrap around me.

"Sweet Pea are you okay?" A polish accent whispered in my ear.

"My head..." I whispered hoarsely. Madam Gorski cursed and grabbed a towel that had fallen from the table to the floor. She pressed it against my wound.

"What do you think I'm doing?"

"You stay away from her. Do you hear me?" Jacobs looked at him, surprised.

"Excuse me?"

"You can walk around here, acting like you run the place. You can deal with the guns, and the drugs and everything else. But when it comes to the girls, you have to go through me to get to them. Do you understand me? My father never treated the girls like this, so you don't treat the girls like this! They are NOT your toythings!"

Jacobs sighed, running a hand through his hair. He looked at me, then Blue.

"You're right. You're totally right. I'm sorry." He looked at me. "I'm sorry. I just...got carried away." He said. His apology was not genuine. I could see the anger behind his eyes. But he could not defy Blue. Blue was the rightful owner of the club. Blue had the dirt on Jacobs. He could take Jacobs to court.

He left the room and Blue immediately ran to me.

"Sweet Pea! Sweet Pea, can you hear me?" I felt his hands on my cheeks, caressing my face softly. I felt him brushing away the tears from my eyes.

"We need to help her, Blue." Madam Gorski said.

"I know." Suddenly, I was lifted into his arms and he was carrying me away. I saw lights above his head.

"I love you." I whispered. He looked down at me, and his face became even more blurry.

"I love you, too." He said, his face fading into a dark background...

* * *

><p><em>"I can't believe we did it! We got the map! The Wise Man is gonna be so proud of us!" Rocket said. She grinned widely. Amber and Blondie whooped. I looked at Rocket, grinning as well.<em>

_"I can't wait to show him what we've accomplished!" I said excitedly. I looked over at a girl with blonde pigtails. I looked at her, confused._

_"Who are you?" I asked. She looked at me, just as confused._

_"That's the second time you've said that to me, Sweet Pea. Are you okay?"_

_"I don't...I don't know who you are!" I said, stepped back from her. Rocket looked at me._

_"How can you not know who this is, Sweet Pea? It's Ba-"_

I woke with a start, my heart racing. I sat up and immediately regretted it. My head spun and I groaned.

"Lay back down." I heard a deep voice whisper. I listened to the voice, immediately sinking back into the pillows of the bed I was lying down on.

"Where am I?" I whispered.

"You're in my room." I finally opened my eyes.

Blue was hovering over me. He smiled softly.

"Hey." He said gently.

"Hi." I whispered. He pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"How long have I been out for?" I asked.

"Not long. An hour or two. You have a cut on the back of your neck. It's pretty deep. We patched it up as best we could."

I lifted my hand, grazing the surface of my neck. I felt a bandage go from the hairline at the back of my neck down to the start of my collarbone.

"I don't even remember it being that bad. It hardly hurt."

"You were in shock." Blue said hollowly. I looked at him and tears sprang in my eyes.

"I couldn't fight him..."

"Shh. It's okay." He whispered, laying down next to me. I curled up beside him.

"I...I..."

"Don't. I love you, okay? More than anything." He placed his hand beneath my chin and raised my head up, kissing me lightly. My hand found the button of his shirt, and I slowly began unbuttoning his shirt. He gripped my hand gently.

"Are you sure?" He whispered.

"I...I need you. After what Jacobs did to me...I need to know that someone loves me. That someone doesn't just want me for my body..." I was rambling, and he laughed quietly.

"I will never want anything more than you. I will always love you." He whispered.

"Then get that shirt off and help me get out of mine." I said playfully. He laughed and kissed me, his hands trailing the skin on my exposed stomach...


	10. Punishment

**A/N: So if anyone is confused as to the timeline, it's been about 3-4 months since the Sweet Pea and Rocket first arrived at the brothel. At the time of this chapter, it's been 5 months.  
><strong>

**Chapter Ten  
><strong>

**Punishment****  
><strong>

_One Month Later  
><em>

"Sweet Pea..." I turned immediately to see Rocket at the door.

"What's up?" I asked her. She came over to me and adjusted the bandage on my neck. I hissed at the pain.

"I still can't believe he did this." Rocket said through gritted teeth.

"Stop...there isn't any use in fighting him. We just...have to stick it through, okay?" She wrapped her arms around my waist.

"I love you, Sweet Pea." She whispered. I kissed her forehead, sighing.

"I love you, too. Now let's get to dance practice before we get into trouble." We both ran down to the studio, laughing at old memories of before entering the brothel.

"Remember when mom fell down the stairs and dad was stressing out about -"

My breath caught in my throat.

We had entered the dance studio.

All the girls were lined up against the mirror.

And Jacobs was talking to them.

He turned to look at us.

"Well, better late than never. Line up with the others, please." He said, pointing. He smirked at me. I grabbed Rocket's hand and gripped it tightly in my own. I looked over at Madam Gorski, who was standing next to Blue. He shook his head infinitesimally. I blinked once to let him know I understood.

"Well, ladies, as I was saying. I've decided to...change the law of the jungle, so to speak. I've decided that...there will be no age limit to when you can begin being sold for sex. From now on, each and every single one of you will have individual routines, and will have clients for the night. THIS-" His voice rose as the girls all shouted out.  
>"IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN! There is no changing my mind. There is no leaving. This is your lives now. Love it, or hate it...Heck I don't really care."<p>

He went to leave. My heart dropped as Blue ran up to him.

"You can't do this! Some of them are barely in their twenties-!"

"Well, next time...you'll do better to question my authority." My heart dropped.

"So you're punishing all of us for something you did!" I yelled. He looked at me.

"No..." He walked up to me. "I'm punishing all of you for something you didn't do." I raised my hand to slap him. He grabbed my wrist, his eyes narrowing.

"I'd think twice before you do something that you'll regret." He whispered menacing. Tears flooded down my face. He let me go and walked out of the studio.

"Good luck with your dances tonight girls!" He yelled out. I looked at Rocket, my vision blurry. She was slumped against the mirror, her face one of absolute shock. Amber and Blondie were swearing at Jacobs, not caring if he heard them or not. Madam Gorski was calming the others down.

I was huddled up on the floor, my body not able to move.

"Sweet Pea..."

His voice did it. I broke down crying, my whole body shaking.

"I know...We'll figure something out, I promise. I promise, Sweet Pea, we are going to fix this." Blue whispered in my ear.

I lay in his arms, the prospect of what I was about to go through becoming more clear with each teardrop.


	11. Turn Off Your Mind

**Chapter 11**

**Turn Off Your Mind  
><strong>

My breath caught. I tried to take deep breaths as my heart raced, thudding against my ribcage.

"Sweet Pea?"

"Don't." I begged. Blue sighed behind me.

"I don't..."

"I can't hear you right now. I can't...Just please leave." I begged again. He kissed my shoulder and nodded.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

I cried, tears leaking down my cheeks.

"Sweet Pea, you're next. Don't cry. You have to perform." Madam Gorski said, sighing. I took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'm okay." Madam Gorski walked out, faking a smile.

"Our next act is a young one. Her name may be sweet, but she sure is anything but. I'd love to welcome...Sweet Pea!"

I felt someone nudge my back and I was forced on stage as the lights dimmed. I closed my eyes, clearing my mind.

And when I opened them, I was in a different world.

Fireworks exploded around me, and snow crinkled on the floor. I walked, looking down at my outfit. I was wearing a black corset, a leotard underneath it and a cape on my shoulders. A metal brace of some sort was on my right shoulder. A hood covered my head.

"What in the world?" I exclaimed.

"New years eve."

I turned at the sound of a voice. An old man was sitting with his feet crossed at some stairs, which led into a temple.

"Hi..." I said shyly.

"Hello, Sweet Pea."

"How do you know my name?" I blurted out straight away, scared. He laughed.

"I'm here to help you. You're scared, and you need training."

"Training?"

"Mhmm...to become the warrior you are."

"Warrior?" I said, scoffing. He laughed. He turned, then struck at me, slashing at me with a samurai sword. I stepped back, my hand instinctively going to my back where a broadsword was strapped to it. I pulled it out and held it out as he struck again. The impact of the swords caused a loud ringing noise to fill the area, the fireworks continuing to go off around us.

"What are you doing?"

"Defend yourself!" He barked, swinging at me again. He continued to attack me and I continued to block him, attacking him when I could, but he was strong, no matter how old he looked. I attacked his left side, swinging the sword around myself and he sidestepped it, then swept the samurai sword under my chin. I dropped my own sword when the cold metal touched my skin, goosebumps erupting on my neck. He grinned at me.

"Nice...very nice. That right there is trying..."

"I didn't win though." I said, confused.

"You didn't win, correct. But you still tried. That's what counts. Leave, return to me when you're ready once more."

I turned, not really sure where to go, and walked away.

"Oh and one last thing!" I turned to look back at him and he winked.

"The body can be used in many different ways. Make sure you choose the right one."

I looked at him, unsure of what he meant. I closed my eyes, sighing.

And when I opened them, I was on stage, and everyone below me watching me was clapping.

Blue was watching me in amazement.

Some people wolf whistled.

I didn't understand. I walked off the stage and Rocket grinned at me, hugging my sweaty body.

"You were amazing!"

"I was?" I asked, confused.

"Duh! Didn't you feel yourself moving?"

"I was defending myself! The guy, he was fighting me!"

"What?" Rocket said, confused.

"Rocket, go! Now!" Madam Gorski said, pushing her away from me. I walked away, stepping away from the theater and entering the changing room. I stepped out of my costume, still pondering what happened.

Who was the old man?

Did I imagine everything?


	12. Trust Issues

**Chapter 12**

**Trust Issues**

"He's got the list up..." I felt Blondie whisper into my ear. I looked at her, my mind racing.

I was about to have sex with a man I barely knew.

Tears began pouring down my eyes.

Blondie was crying too.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I've...I've never..."

"Oh my god." I whispered. She looked up at me, crying.

"You're a virgin..." I whispered. She nodded.

"I'm scared." She cried. I hugged her tightly.

"It's gonna be okay, I promise..."

"Amber told me it hurts...the first time..." Blondie whispered. I swallowed and nodded.

"Well it...it does. But you're gonna be okay, I promise." Blondie hugged me tightly, her arms wrapped around me.

"Rocket is too..." I whispered.

"She is?" Blondie sniffed. I nodded. She grabbed my hand and led me over to the list. Rocket was looking at it with wide eyes.

"I'm with some guy called Robert. I'm gonna lose my virginity to a Robert." She scoffed. Blondie laughed.

"It's okay...I'm losing mine to a..." She glanced at the list. "Ethan."

"Oh see! I would've prefered an Ethan over a Robert." I looked at Rocket. I knew what she was doing.

She was being strong for Blondie.

"Thank you." I whispered to her.

"She's taking it the hardest." Rocket whispered.

"How are you feeling about it?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"It was gonna happen eventually. Doesn't matter to who." She said. I laughed in surprise.

"You little minx." She poked her tongue out at me. I looked at the list, seeing who I was signed to.

I gasped, almost choking.

"Frank." I whispered. My heart raced, then calmed.

It was Frank.

He would understand, wouldn't he?

He would understand that I was in love with Blue...

"Hey Sweet Pea." I whipped around, gasping.

He was standing at the door.

Blue.

"Frank." I gasped out. Blue raised an eyebrow.

"No...Blue." He said, laughing.

"No...Frank." I said, pointing at the list. He walked over to the wall, then looked at me.

"Son of a bitch..." He went to run out and I chased him.

"BLUE!"

"He's not going to do this!"

"Blue listen to me! Maybe he won't! If I tell him...if I tell him about us...he'll back off."

"No he won't! Sweet Pea..." He came closer to me.

"That man hasn't had sex in 4 years, since his wife passed away. And guess what? You look like his wife..."

"What?" I gasped.

"I'm gonna kill him." He whispered. My head raced, and I grabbed his hand, then lay my hand on his face.

"I love you." I kissed him. He sighed, then kissed me back.

"Just leave him. I promise...i'll find a way."

"No...I'll find a way." Blue whispered. He walked off before I could stop him.

"Hey, Sweet Pea!" I turned-

and saw Frank walking toward me, a smile on his face.

"Been looking for you. So, you ready?"

"Um...sure." I whispered. He held his hand out to me and I took it.

"We're in room 25. Should be around here somewhere...there's 21...22...23...24...uh here!" He opened the door with the key, walking in. The room was covered with blue and red drapes, and the bed in the middle was shaped as a loveheart.

"Nice!" He said. My heart was racing.

"So...look I haven't done...it...in a long time. So...forgive me if I mess it up or..."

"Frank..."

"Right, I'm rambling. Let's just go for it, yeah?" He walked up to me and without warning, crushed his lips to mine. I could barely register what he was doing before he began pulling on my shirt. I tried pulling away but I was frozen. He pulled away, looking at me.

"Are you okay?" He asked me. I gasped, tears falling down my face.

"Oh...are...are you a virgin?" He whispered.

"No, no it's..." I tried taking deep breaths.

"What?" He asked.

"I...I'm in love with Blue." I whispered. Frank looked at me.

"What?" He asked, bewildered.

"Me and him...we're in love with each other." I said, breathing out.

Frank immediately let me go.

"Oh god...I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay." I whispered.

"Damn...you two really are something...in love in a brothel." He said, laughing. I chuckled too.

"I know." I said shakily.

"Okay well...I'm gonna go home then..."

"I'm so sorry, Frank. Blue told me...about your wife and..."

"You look exactly like her you know." He whispered.

"I know...Blue told me." I said. He leaned forward.

"I wish...I could feel her lips on mine...just one more time..." He whispered.

"What is it about me...that looks so much like her?" I asked. He smiled, observing me.

"Your eyes...and your lips." He said, chuckling.

"Then kiss me...and look into my eyes. Maybe you will get that final kiss with her." I whispered. I loved Blue with all my heart it was true...but I could never imagine losing him in the blink of an eye.

"I can't...your with Blue and..."

"I love him. More than anything. But...you loved your wife in the same way and she was ripped away from you. It...it isn't fair. I will always have Blue...you won't ever have your wife."

Frank began crying. He looked into my eyes.

"Thank you." He whispered.

He leaned and, laying his hands on either side of my face, kissed me gently. I kissed him back. He pulled away, smiling.

"Sweet Pea." He whispered, nodding. He sniffed, wiping the tears away and walking out of the room.

"Frank!" I ran out of the room after him-

and caught him face to face with Blue.

"What's going on?" Blue asked, surprised.

"She told me about you two...I backed off." He said, ruffling his hair. Blue looked at him in shock...

then reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out $1000 cash.

"Thank you." He whispered. Frank took the money and smiled.

"Good luck." He whispered back. He walked down the hall, looking back as me and Blue hugged each other tightly.


	13. Solution

**Chapter 13**

**Solution  
><strong>

"What are we going to do?" I whispered, clutching Blue closer to me. He kissed my forehead.

"I don't know. I just...I don't know."

I could feel him shaking in my arms, and I pressed my lips to his.

"Calm down, Blue. Please?" I whispered. He took a deep breath, looked at me, and nodded.

"I'm trying."

"Blue...does Jacobs have drugs of some sort that can...I don't know...knock my clients out?"

"What?" Blue said, startled.

"I don't know...Never mind." I sighed, but he pulled away from me, excitement in his eyes.

"Yes."

"Yes, what?" I asked, confused.

"Chloroform." He whispered. I sighed.

"Blue, baby, chloroform has to be inhaled. I think my clients will get suspicious if I cover their mouth and nose with a rag."

"No, Sweet Pea. 'Knock out drops'."

"What?" I said, confused.

"'Knock out drops'! There's this drug called Chlorol Hydrate. You pour a couple of drops into someones drink and BAM! They're out like a light!"

"Blue, that's genius!" I squealed, my heart racing.

"And it's easy to get. Jacobs has some in stock, actually. I can steal a couple of bottles! He'll never know!" Blue breathed. I kissed him before I could stop myself.

"I love you!" I whispered.

"I love you, too! Look, come with me. I have an idea."

He took my hand and led me down to the girls bedroom. It was empty.

"What are we doing here?" I asked him.

"We're waiting. The girls should start coming in a couple of hours. The men get kicked out at 4."

"Oh god...I wish we could've thought of this before Rocket and Blondie had to..." I trailed off, sighing.

"They're virgins, aren't they?" Blue asked sadly. I nodded. He sighed as well, but kissed my shoulder.

"It's gonna be okay." he whispered. I nodded, and yawned.

"Bed. Now."

"But-"

"Now." He said again, pointing. I chuckled and slid under the covers of my bed, almost immediately falling asleep.

_I looked around me, the snow crunching beneath my feet. I looked up and spotted something that made my heart splutter._

_"I've been here before." I whispered, looking up at the temple._

_"Of course you have, silly. We live here." Rocket said behind me. I turned and looked at her. Blondie was walking with Amber, playing thumb wars, and a blonde girl with pigtails was a little behind them, a map in her hands._

_"Let's go give this to him. With this, he can figure out our next mission." __Rocket nodded. _

_"Wait, what is going on?" I asked, confused. Rocket looked at me, astonished._

_"Sweet Pea, what is going on with you? It's like your Dr. Jekkyl and Mr. Hyde today. One minute you're here with us, remembering everything. The next you're a different person." _

_"I don't understand how I got here! And I don't know who you are!" I said, pointing to the blonde girl with pigtails._

_"Sweet Pea, look it's gonna be okay! The Wiseman might know what's wrong with you." She said._

_"Who?"_

_"Me." I turned, and found myself face to face with the man I sparred with right here at this temple on new year's eve._

_"You." I whispered._

"Sweet Pea?"

woke with a start, my heart racing.

You okay?" Blue asked me. I looked up at him and found myself face to face with Amber, Blondie and Rocket.

"Hi!" I said breathlessly.

"Hi." Rocket said awkwardly. I remembered what she must've went through.

"You okay?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"He wasn't that great." Blondie sighed.

"My guy was cool. But...well...it hurt." She bit her lip.

"Well, we might have a solution." Blue said, smiling.

"Really?" Amber asked, surprised.

"It's called Chlorol Hydrate. Pour a couple of drops into someones drink and they're out like a light."

"How long does it last?" Rocket breathed.

"About an hour or so, but the person has no recollection of how much time has passed. You can pretend you've done the, you know...and when he asks what's happened, you can do the good old, "you got so drunk, you can't remember anything?" speech!"

"This is why I love you." I said, smiling.

"The thing is though...I can only get my hands on a couple of bottles...I can't give it to every single girl here." Blue said, biting his lip. I sighed.

"It's gonna have to be just us four." Rocket said, nodding. Blondie sighed.

"This sucks."

"I know...I want to help them, too. But if Blue steals anymore bottles from Jacobs, he'll get suspicious."

"Right." Amber said, nodding.

"So, we're going through with this?" I asked. They all nodded and Blondie whooped with excitement.

"We're rebelling against Jacobs! I feel on top of the world right now! I feel to freaking alive! RAH!" She slashed at an invisible enemy, whooping with glee, and my mind flashed to her with a mini axe in her hand, slashing at a zombie like a professional. I remembered my dream, and dazed, nodded slowly.

"Right."


	14. End of the Dream

**A/N: This is now around 3 years later.  
><strong>

**Chapter 14**

End of the Dream**  
><strong>

The last three years felt as if I were floating on a dream.

Blue continued supplying myself and the girls with the drugs. We continued knocking out our clients. And myself and Blue continued spiralling deeping into the depths of love. Despite the fact that we were being held against our will, it didn't matter. We were so in love. I felt like he was my world. The only thing tying me down from spiralling out of control. And the way he told me he loved me...I knew he felt the same. I wanted nothing more than to escape from here with all of them. To get married to Blue and have kids and live a normal life. One day, Blue lay in bed with me and we spent hours discussing names for our children. He was absolutely convinced that we would one day escape from the brothel and have that normal like I so desperately wanted.

But it just wasn't possible. Not with Jacobs around.

And he was still around. He didn't budge from his high chair. And luckily, he never grew suspicious. Neither did our clients. But slowly, the place began to lose its liveliness and eventually, myself and Blue were the only ones attempting to try and cheer everyone else up. I felt guilty, so guilty that Blue couldn't get the drugs for the other girls. But after the first year or so, they got used to it. Slowly, the life started getting back into the brothel. And that's why the past three years felt like a dream.

Because despite Jacobs attempts to make the place hell on earth, we had managed to turn it around and bring it back. Blue's 25th birthday had gone off with a bang and we had all celebrated like crazy, much to Jacobs's anger. We had all gotten crazy drunk, partying until the early hours of the morning. It had been a blast.

But of course, all good things had to come to an end.

And our good thing, came to an abrupt end.

I was fixing my make up in the mirror when he came in.

"Hi. I got myself all prettied up for..." I trailed off, looking at him in the mirror. His back was turned to me.

"Blue?" I whispered. He turned to face me and I almost screamed.

His entire face was covered in blood. He collapsed to his knees and I lay him down on my lap, tears falling down my face.

"Blue! What happened!" I asked hysterically.

"He found out...he found out..." Blue whispered. My heart dropped.

"Oh no..."

I heard the door open behind me, then heard laughter, followed by gasps.

"Sweet Pea!"

"Help me get him in the tub!" I said fiercely, not caring who it was. I heard 3 pairs of footsteps and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it was Amber, Blondie and Rocket. Together, we lifted Blue off the ground and half carried, half dragged him to the bathroom. I started taking his clothes off and the girls turned around respectively.

"I'll go get Madam Gorski, she's good with wounds." Amber said.

"Go." I croaked. She nodded and left as I started the water in the tub. I kept his underwear on, so that Blondie and Rocket could turn again.

Slowly, the blood began coming off his face, staining the water with dark red. He looked up at me with his good eye...the other one was puffed up. He had cuts all over his face and bruises all over his body.

"Sweet Pea..." He whispered. I brushed my lips against his softly, my tears falling on his face.

"Stay with him...I need to get him water." I gasped out. I walked out before Blondie or Rocket could say anything.

As soon as I left the room, I smacked my back against the wall and fell to the floor, gasping for breath.

This was my fault. I had asked Blue to do this. I had gotten him in trouble. All of this was my fault. I'm the reason he was beaten within an inch of his life. I was the cause of the pain he was suffering.

_Keep it together, Sweet Pea! He needs you!_ I thought angrily. I got up, forcing my body to move and I ran toward the cafeteria.

I came to a screeching halt when I heard voices though.

One I would know from anywhere.

Jacobs.

I grit my teeth as I listened intently to what he was saying.

"I need you to do something for me."

"Anything boss." It was one of the guards, Melvin. Jacobs sighed.

"I need you to kill Blue Jones."

I clapped a hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming.

"Blue? Why?" Melvin asked.

"He's...become an issue. One I want erased. Can you do that for me?" Jacobs asked.

"Sure thing, boss." Melvin said. Jacobs clapped him on the shoulder.

"Good man!"

I couldn't move. I couldn't speak.

He couldn't kill Blue. He couldn't.

I wouldn't let him.

I got up from the ground, not even remembering how I ended up there.

I knew what I had to do.

I made my way back to the bathroom and found Madam Gorski tending to Blue's wounds.

"Is he okay?" I asked her hollowly.

"He will be okay. Sore...but okay." She said, sighing.

"Sweet Pea..." Blue said, looking for me. I smiled at him.

"Everything's gonna be okay." I said. I looked at the girls.

"I'll be back."

Rocket grabbed my arm.

"Sweet Pea, don't." She begged. I shrugged her off and walked away.

I walked down to the cleaning cabinet without hesitation.

When I got there, I grabbed an empty bottle, then walked over to the rat poison which was right next to the bottle of window cleaner.

I grabbed every single chemically posionous product I could find and poured a little of each into the bottle.

Once I was done, I walked to the kitchens.

It was time for me to get rid of Jacobs once and for all.


	15. Panic Switch

**Chapter 15**

Panic Switch

I walked into the kitchens-

_And instead I walked into a temple._

_I looked around. Candles were lit all over the place. _

_And I was back in that warrior outfit. _

_"What the-?"_

_"Sweet Pea...good to see you're back." _

_I turned and saw that same old man looking at me. _

_"Where did I go?" I asked suspiciously._

_"Well, where haven't you been? You've been in and out of yourself a lot lately." He said, a slight smirk on his face. _

_"I don't...I don't understand."_

_"You've reached a difficult situation, Sweet Pea." _

_"There's nothing difficult about it...I'm gonna kill Jacobs. It's the only way." I said fiercely. The old man laughed._

_"Sweet Pea...I wouldn't do that, if I were you. Killing Jacobs...it will only make things worse."_

_"It's the only way! If I don't kill him, he'll kill Blue!" I shouted. He sighed._

_"If you kill Jacobs, you'll lose Blue."_

_"You're not even real! Why should I listen to you?" I hissed. He shook his head, looking down. When he looked back up at me, his eyes brimmed with tears._

_"I guess...you make your own decisions. I just...I wish you would take my advice into account-."_

_"GO AWAY! YOU DON'T EXIST! JUST GO!" I roared._

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the kitchens.

I took a deep breath.

It was a bad sign, that I started hallucinating. I walked forward, noticing the huge platter in front of me.

"Jacobs." I said through gritted teeth. The chef walked in, his greedy eyes glaring at me.

"What are you doing here?" He growled.

"Jacobs said he wants me to give him his dinner today." I said sweetly, smiling. The chef's eyes went wide and he laughed horribly.

"Alright then."

I watched him slam the doors open and walk out. Slowly, I pulled the bottle out and poured it all over jacob's chicken. It just mixed in with the grease, and I thank god that it didn't look suspicious. I lifted the plate and slowly walked back outside and into the dining area, where Jacobs was sitting with his goons at the table.

"What are you doing here?" Jacobs asked. I shrugged nonchalantly.

"The chef stopped me when I was walking down the hallway. He asked me to deliver your meal. He seemed...I dunno, frantic. He was all sweaty and anxious so I just said "okay"." I said, sighing. Jacobs narrowed his eyes and nodded.

"Fine."

I put his plate down and went to leave, but his arm snaked around my waist. He pulled me toward him and forced me to sit on his lap.

"Stay with me." He whispered seductively. I rolled my eyes, trying not to throw up.

"Oh, alright." I said, giggling. If he was surprised by my reaction, he didn't show it. He laughed as well and took the first bite of his food. He ate some more, and my heart started racing.

It wasn't working!

My breath became ragged as he got a quarter of the way through his meal. His hands were groping me all over, but I didn't care. I just wanted him to keel over.

Slowly, however, I noticed. He started sweating. His hands started shaking. He was coughing.

He dropped his knife and fork and started clutching his throat.

"Jacobs?" I asked, feinting worry. He looked at me with huge eyes, reaching for me. I squealed and stepped back.

"What's happening to him?" I exclaimed, fake sobbing. His goons surrounded him, trying to get him to breathe.

One of them looked up at me fiercely and grabbed my by the shoulders, slamming me into the wall. I groaned in pain and he slammed me again.

"What did you do?" He roared.

"I didn't do anything! The chef told me to deliver the food and I did!" I shouted, real tears streaming down my face. I had planned this all out. The chef was supposed to get the blame, not me!

"You didn't do anything to the food?" He roared again.

"NO! No, I didn't! The chef just gave it to me and ran off!"

The guard looked at me, his eyes narrowing. I seemed to notice the close proximity of me and him and tried to move away, but his hold on my arms grew tighter and he slammed me again.

"The chef ran off? He seemed anxious? You said so earlier, right?" He asked breathlessly. I nodded.

"Son of a bitch! I knew he had it out for Jacobs!" The guard let me go, and looked down at Jacobs. The guards looked up at him, and shook their heads.

"He's gone."

"No way..." The guard whispered.

"Oh my god!" I whispered, covering my mouth.

"Look, get out of here. Tell no one what you saw here." The guard said to me. I nodded and ran out, smiling as I went.


	16. Falling Apart

**Chapter 16**

Falling Apart

Blue was gone for over five hours.

I didn't know where he went, or what he was doing, but I was worried.

Something was wrong. Defintely wrong.

He had put his clothes back on without a word and walked away, barely looking at me, when I told him what had happened. The others were scared, worried that I would get caught, but I told them my plan was foolproof.

But now, I was beginning to think that might not be the case.

He came into the room slowly, looking at me with blank eyes.

"Jacobs is dead. They...they killed the chef."

"What?" I gasped.

Oh god no! I didn't want them to kill him! I wanted them to fire him! Not...oh god...

"Blue, I...I..."

"It's okay. It's okay." He walked up to me, kissing my forehead. His face was bruised beyond recognition, but there was love in his eyes.

"But I killed an innocent man..."

"He was anything but, Sweet Pea. He's raped three of the girls here, and he's known for spitting in the food. He was a horrible man and we're better off without him here."

I sighed.

"I just..."

"Shush, it's okay." He kissed me lightly and I smiled at him.

"Now that Jacobs is gone, we can get out of here." I said softly. His face hardened, but he nodded.

"Maybe."

"Mr. Jones?"

Blue turned and looked at the door. One of the guards nodded.

"They're ready for you."

Blue nodded and walked out without a word. I watched him, confused, but decided I would ask him tomorrow morning. I slept restlessly, but when Rocket joined my side, I slept peacefully, no warriors, wise man or blonde- pigtailed girl in my dreams.

* * *

><p>Blue had become boss.<p>

That was the news I had recieved the next day.

I was relieved. Happy. Ecstatic. So many emotions, there simply couldn't be enough words in the dictionary to describe it.

I went to him the next day, hugging him and he hugged me back.

"We can do it! We can get out of here and raise a family and be happy!" I whispered. He pulled away from me.

"Yeah, we can. But I...I gotta stay here and run the place, Sweet Pea." My smile faltered, but I nodded.

"I know! But we can get a home and the girls won't have to do the sex part of the job and everything will be back to normal!" I said, grinning. He looked at me blankly.

"Yeah...excuse me." He walked away. I watched, him, confused, but shrugged it off.

It was Blue. He was gonna change everything.

And everything did change.

Two months went by, and nothing changed.

Everyone still did their jobs exactly how Jacobs had managed them. I was confused. Shocked. Scared. Angry.

I tried to see Blue, but he refused to see me. He was avoiding me at all costs.

At first I thought he was just having a hard time trying to let the place go. It was his fathers after all.

Or I thought that maybe the guards were refusing to let him change things.

But he could've just fired anyone who opposed him.

He was the boss.

It wasn't adding up.

Two months.

I couldn't take it anymore.

I went to his office and the guards immediately stepped in front of the door.

"No entry."

"Fuck off, or I'll kill you." I growled viciously. They scoffed. I grabbed the knife from behind my back and brandished it. They blanched, but went for their guns.

"Let her in!" Blue called. They stepped aside at once and I walked in. Blue was sitting at his desk.

"What the fuck is going on!" I shouted.

"Keep your voice down!" He hissed.

"NO! You haven't spoken to me in two months! I am your girlfriend! Or did you forget that?"

"Sweet Pea, that's enough." He said angrily. I glared at him.

"What...is going on?" I whispered.

"Nothing. Everything is the same."

"Exactly! Things were supposed to change! The girls were supposed to be free from having sex with strangers! The brothel was supposed to become a theatre again! We...we were supposed to run off together! Have kids!" I croaked, tears running down my face. Blue looked at me.

There was no love.

No compassion.

It was like I was looking at Jacobs. I shivered.

"Things change. People change. I don't know if I made it clear, by avoiding seeing you for two months, but it's over between us, Sweet Pea." He said coldly.

My heart broke.

I stared at him shock, crying.

"What?" I whispered.

"This thing we had...it's over. It doesn't exist anymore. That's it." He said, sitting down.

"I...I..."

I couldn't speak, I was in shock.

"Why?" I choked out.

"Because I don't love you anymore!" He hissed.

I fell to my knees.

This couldn't be happening. I was hallucinating. This was a dream.

No, no, no, no, no, no...

"Get out of my office, Sweet Pea. Make it easy for yourself." He said, sighing. His voice, his behaviour...

He truly didn't love me anymore.

When I didn't move, he sighed in frustration and walked over to me. He gripped my shoulders tightly.

"Get out, Sweet Pea. Come on."

"No, no! NO!" I started hitting him, banging my fists against his chest.

He let me go.

"YOU CAN'T! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" I screamed. I went to hit him again and he gripped my wrist. He looked at me with wide, angry eyes.

"Stop it." He growled.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I moaned in despair.

"Because I want what I want, and it isn't you!"

I slapped him.

He glared at me.

Before I could stop him, his fist struck my jaw. I fell to the floor, my head spinning.

"Get out and don't come back, you hear me?" He growled. I looked at him in shock.

This wasn't my Blue.

My Blue was gone. I got up, running out before he could see me fall apart. I fell over continuously while I ran to the bedroom, barely keeping myself together.

I couldn't breathe.

I didn't know what to do with myself anymore.

I didn't see a point in living anymore.

I burst through the door and ran into the bathroom.

"SWEET PEA!"

No, no. Not Rocket.

I vomited into the toilet bowl, trying to breathe.

"Sweet Pea, your jaw! It's bruised! What happened?" Rocket asked. Blondie and Amber came in.

"Blue...Blue...it's over..." I managed to gasp out.

"Oh my god..."

Rocket cradled me in her arms as I cried.

I couldn't feel.

I couldn't do anything.

In my head, I kept hearing the Wise Man.

_"If you kill Jacobs, you'll lose Blue."_

"He was right...he was right..." I whispered, rocking back and forth.

Rocket brushed my hair back, cooing softly to me.

But it was all I could do.

"He was right...he was right..."


	17. Innocence

**Chapter 17**

Innocence

_One Year Later_

"Hey, Donnie! Leave your shit in the girls bedroom again, and I'll kick your ass!"

Donnie looked at me with scared eyes and nodded. I didn't care. I walked past him and saw Madam Gorski laughing.

"Stop scaring all the new boys, Sweet Pea."

I grinned mischeviously.

"Someone's gotta show them that we're in charge around here as well." I said, shrugging. She winked at me.

"Theatre room, in an hour. We need to rehearse friday night's show."

"Got it!" I yelled, sprinting up the stairs. Rocket met me at the top.

"Hey!"

"Rehearsal in an hour." I said. She nodded, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek and running down the stairs. I whistled while I walked to the girls bedroom.

"Sweet Pea."

My heart dropped.

I popped the gum in my mouth and turned slowly.

Blue Jones smiled and walked up to me.

The man who destroyed my life.

I smiled coldly.

"Yeah?"

"Can you follow me?" He said. I shrugged and followed him. He led me to the balcony and I froze.

"You're really gonna bring me here?" I said, crossing my arms. He looked at me in shock.

"Why? What's wrong with here?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Whatever. What do you want?"

"I just wanted to ask you if you could help out with something. We've got a new girl coming in today and..."

"Right. Got it." I turned to leave.

"Oh come on, Sweet Pea. We can't have a civilised conversation anymore?"

"Nope." I said, opening the door. He sighed and chuckled.

"Jacobs was right." He said. I froze and looked at him.

"About?"

"The innocence..." He cleared his throat. "The innocence leaving a person...when they turn 25."

I chuckled at the distant memory.

"Yeah...looks like it." I said in an offhand tone. He looked at me with blank eyes, no emotions whatsoever.

Once upon a time that would've killed me.

I would've expected love, and warmth and kindness.

Now, I felt nothing. I felt nothing anymore at all.

I smiled at him in a way that made him flinch, and walked away.

"Happy 26th birthday, Sweet Pea." I mumbled.

* * *

><p>"STOP!" I yelled.<p>

Amber looked down at me in shock.

"Get that thing away from me." I said, my heart racing. This was so stupid and pointless! How the hell was some story about a vegetable high school girl gonna get guys riled up to buy us out? Amber was still looking at me in shock, that metal pick hanging above my eyes.

"Get it away from me!" I yelled. Amber jumped in shock and moved the metal pick away, her eyes wide. Music was pounding through the speakers, giving me a headache.

"And shut off that damn music!" I growled.

Truth be told, I wasn't angry about any of this.

Blue was pissing me off.

Him and his stupid idea that I would help him out after everything he did to me.

I was beginning to feel claustrophobic, tied down to this chair. I looked at Rocket.

"Undo these straps." Rocket glanced at Madam Gorski, then started working on my right arm.

"Don't forget my ankles." I reminded. Blondie helped her out. Amber looked at Madam Gorski in a "What is going on" way.

"Hurry!" I said, sighing as the claustrophobia grew.

"Is there a problem, Sweet Pea?" Madam Gorski asked, walking forward from below the theatre.

_No, not really. Just feeling angry and pissed off and another whole bunch of emotions._

"This is a joke, right?" I said, pointing at the chair.

Well I was pissed off with the idea of a vegetable high school girl, might as well use that. I ripped the wig from my hair and threw it onto the chair.

Madam Gorski was looking at me with what looked like repressed laughter, which pissed me off even more.

"Don't you get the point of this?" I said, running a hand through my hair. She looked at me blankly.

"It's to turn people on! I get the sexy little schoolgirl, I even get the helpless mental patient, right? That can be hot!" I said, pacing in front of her. She continued looking at me blankly.

"But what is this?" I said, pointing at the chair. She sighed.

"Lobotomized vegetable?" I said in ridicule. She put her hands on her hips. I could see the others begging me to stop with their eyes, but I ignored them.

"How about something a little more, commercial for god's sake?" I said, bending down to talk to her more privately.

I could sense she was gonna ask, "like what" and I honestly had no answer to that question.

"Sweet Pea? Could you come here, please?"

I looked up, my heart racing at the sound of his voice.

How strange, that I should bump into him twice in one day when we'd been avoiding each other permanently for an entire year.

I looked at Madam Gorski, and she looked at me sadly.

She was there with me when I went through what I went through.

Days of not eating.

Days of not doing anything but lying in bed and avoiding everyone.

She had been there, comforting me with no words, just hugs.

She was there.

With me and for me.

I sighed and hopped off the theatre stage, looking back at her.

"You've gotta help me." I said, smiling. I tried to convey the meaning I wanted her to understand. I was barely keeping it together, and I needed her help. She seemed to notice cause her eyes went wide and she nodded infintesmally.

"I'm the star of the show, remember?" I said, raising my hand in show to throw off Blue. She nodded.

"I'll...figure something out." She said. I took a deep breath and turned, keeping that ridiculous smile on my face and walking up to Blue.

"Alright ladies! Let's wrap it up!" Madam Gorski called.

_Thank god._ I thought. I wanted to go to my room and cry for awhile, let weak, stupid sweet pea disappear so I could become the badass I'd adapted to being for the past year.

Blue was standing with a priest and young girl with blonde pigtails. She seemed familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on where I'd seen her before. She looked extremely scared and I scowled.

I didn't want to deal with this right now.

"Sweet Pea, I want you to meet somebody. This is-"

"Don't tell me. The priest brought you here from the orphanage to lose your virginity, right? Oh...let me rephrase that. To sell it." I said, my tone purposely sarcastic. Priests from the Local Prairie Orphanage had brought in over 15 girls in the past 6 months to live here. Blue bought them out, which disgusted me to no end. The man I loved no longer existed. He was replaced with an evil even worse than Jacobs.

And that broke my heart.

_Dammit, Sweet Pea. Remember what you said to yourself! You don't care anymore!_

Blue laughed, a dangerous glint in his eyes and I stood my ground, smiling with him.

"Yeah, that's right!"

I scoffed and chuckled.

"How original!" I said, shrugging and looking at the shivering girl before me.

"Yeah, well...the High Roller's coming for her in five days...he's gonna...you know, just do some flower picking..." Blue brushed her blonde pig-tails back and she shrugged away from him, disgusted. I tried not to slap Blue's hand away, jealousy over him touching that girl he barely knew in a way he hadn't touched me in over a year.

"And...he's gonna pay a lot of money for that!" Blue said, looking at me with narrowed eyes.

"Hmm, lucky you." I said, narrowing my eyes at the little blonde girl.

"Sweet Pea, can you do me a favour please, honey?"

_No, you_ _ridiculous-simple minded bastard. _

Anger boiled through me and I tried my hardest not to crack.

"Can you show this Babydoll around? Give her a little tour of the establishment-"

I broke, interrupting him.

"Blue! You saw the show! I don't have the time!"

Blue looked at me with a little anger and narrowed his eyes, like he was trying to see through me. I tried to hide the pain in my eyes.

I took a deep breath.

"Let my sister take her." I said. He smiled at me, but his eyes were still narrowed, still trying to suss me out. I broke eye contact with him and looked behind me.

"Rocket!" I called.

Rocket looked at me, took her wig off and looked at Madam Gorski, who nodded. She ruffled her hair, sighing and walked up to me.

"Show her around, will ya sis?" I said, throwing an arm around her. She looked at me, noticing the pain behind my eyes and nodded. I walked off, quickening my pace. I heard heels click clacking behind me. I stopped as soon as I was clear of the theatre and tried taking deep breaths. Madam Gorski's tiny arms wrapped around my waist.

"Breathe, Sweet Pea. Breathe." She whispered.

"I'm trying!" I whispered back. She rubbed my back consolingly.

"Come on, go to the bedroom and sleep it off." She said.

I nodded, walking away and dropping onto the bed, crying myself to sleep.


	18. Here Comes Goodbye

**A/N: Last chapter! I can't believe it's over, I've been writing this story for so long! Well, I hope you guys enjoyed it, 'cause I certainly enjoyed writing it! Buyeeeee!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18<strong>

Here Comes Goodbye

Death.

It happens to everyone.

But is there any possible way that you can be dead, but still alive?

Because that's how I feel right now.

My brain is function, my heart is beating, my body is moving.

But I am dead.

And so is Rocket.

And so is everything I've ever held dear to me.

I died the minute that knife slid into Rocket's ribs and pierced her heart.

I died when I watched the life fade from her eyes.

I don't understand how I'm still here.

I feel nothing.

My eyes see, but they don't take in what's in front of them.

Everything is blurry. And nothing makes sense.

I shouldn't have said yes.

When Babydoll came to us with that crazy idea about leaving, I should have said no. That it was too dangerous, because it was.

But the idea of leaving this place and no longer having to be around _him _was too tempting.

I couldn't NOT go.

Rocket looked at me with those big blue eyes, filled with sadness and it was over.

I couldn't not agree.

And here we were.

Rocket was dead, I was locked in a closet, Babydoll, Amber and Blondie were being forced to go on stage and dance like nothing had happened...

And Babydoll was going to be taken by the High Roller and forced to have sex, just like Amber, Blondie and Rocket were when I first got here.

I was like a walking magnet of death and torture.

I was probably moments away from death myself, but I didn't care.

There was no doubt in my mind that Blue would murder me after what had happened.

You would think I would feel betrayed, heartbroken after realising this.

But I was already broken beyond repair.

I had lost Blue. Now I had lost Rocket.

I hear keys jangle and I know it's him. He's come for me. I close my eyes.

The door opens and it isn't Blue.

I catch two blonde pigtails in my peripherary and I stare at her.

Babydoll.

She's crying her eyes out, and I'm wondering how the hell she got away.

"Sweet Pea..." She whispers. She bends down and I notice something is wrong.

There's two people missing.

"Where's Amber and Blondie?" I ask her.

She just grimaces and fresh tears leak down her face.

"It's just us now, Sweet Pea. We have to go!"

More pain. More heartbreak.

Now I had lost them as well.

My two best friends.

My sisters.

I don't want to get up. I don't want to escape. I just want to die right here.

She grips my hand and I feel her warm skin.

I have one more sister in here.

And I'm not going to let her down.

I get up, mustering as much strength as I can and she hands me the items. I'm shaking so bad, I can barely grip them.

She holds the molotov cocktail she's made from scratch and I light it.

I have to get her out of here.

She's the last one. My last person.

I can't let her down. She throws it and the whole cupboard catches fire.

"Come on!" She grips my hand and reels me away, but I step in front of her. If someone catches us, they'd go for me first.

Then she can run as far as she can and hide until everything dies down.

She's using that gold key to open every single door and I'm wondering how she got it in the first place.

It's around Blue's neck 24/7.

And for reasons I cannot fathom, I feel an ounce of concern for him.

But it fades quickly when I remember how he reacted to Rocket's death.

_"Oh my...what did you do? What did you do, you simple inbred...get her up! get her up CJ! Yes, look! Look at what you did! Look at what you did to her! LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID, YOU BITCH!"_

He didn't even care.

How- How can someone change...

I just don't understand.

She's waiting for the fire escape door to open, and I thank every god in the world when it does.

I need to tell her my address.

I need to tell her to give Rocket's message to our mother.

I need to.

Then I can die in peace. Babydoll can escape, and Blue can just do whatever he wants.

Blue.

It always goes back to him.

We're at the front entrance and I'm looking at the exit.

It's tempting.

It's so, so, so tempting to escape here with her.

_Sweet Pea, if you don't go with her, Rocket won't be happy. Is that what you want?_

_And he's there. The Wise Man. And he's looking at me with sad eyes because he, too, has lost three important people today._

_"But...I don't know how to live without her." And it's true, because I don't. But he just shakes his head._

_"Do it for her."_

And just like that, we're back at the front entrance and Babydoll looks on the verge of tears because she realises our plan has failed.

There are guards everywhere.

I want to give up.

_"Do it for her." _

"This can't be! We did everything right!"

Babydoll starts murmuring to herself and I'm watching her without really paying attention.

Because I'm thinking about the guy inside this brothel and what might be wrong with him.

And I hate myself for it.

"Oh, it's me."

That catches my attention.

"What?"

"Oh, it's me of course it's me! It's the only way this ever could've ended!"

"What do you mean?"

She watches me, a smile on her lips.

"I'm saying you go home. Go home to your family. You tell your mom what Rocket said. Make her happy. You go out and live a normal life. Love, be free. You have to live for all of us now."

Rocket...my mother.

It's all meshing together.

And I'm crying at the prospect of seeing my mother again. Of telling her what's happened. Of everything that has occured.

Of falling love all over again...though I don't think I could ever possibly do that...

And it's those last words that snap me back.

NO! I need to get Babydoll out! Not the other way around!

"Baby NO! You can't do this!"

"Yes, Sweet Pea! You're the strongest! You're the only one of us who had a chance out there! You, going out and living, that's how we win!"

I'm about to protest, but the look in her eyes...

It's the look I had when I first came here.

_"We don't have a choice."_

And we didn't. I walked right back into the brothel because we had nowhere to go.

It was the biggest mistake of my life.

It's okay, it's okay, it's better this way! Now listen, I'm gonna go out there, and when they come after me you go!"

She's handing me the items, and I know this is wrong.

But it feels so right.

"There's gotta be another way!"

I'm saying this to myself more than to her.

"No, this is right. this was never my story. It's yours."

And maybe it is my story. Because right now, i'm in a fairytale. A fairytale with no happy ending.

"Now don't screw it up, okay!"

She's walking away and all I want to do is call her back. I go to follow her, but she glares at me, and nods. I sit back down and she sighs in relief.

"You stay off the roads and you find a bus station, okay? You're gonna be fine." She seems to say this last part to herself, and before I can stop her, she's walking up to the guards.

And I'm walking to the front gate.

I unlock the door, but every part of me is screaming to help Babydoll out.

I look back at her and she smiles at me. I look up at the building.

He's in there.

Hurt, injured.

Dead.

Who knows?

But instead of worry, I find nothing but relief.

Because it's true.

My feelings for Blue are gone.

My feelings for anything altogether are gone.

"Goodbye, Blue." I whisper.

I walk away, but not before I hear a thud, a groan, another thud and the sound of someone falling to the floor.

I should go back.

_"There is no turning back. You're life is out there, Sweet Pea. Not here."_

And this time, there is no Wise Man.

There is only Rocket, Amber, Blondie, Madam Gorski...

and Blue.

The old Blue.

They're all smiling at me, and it's all the strength I need.

I nod and run down the hill, leaving everything I know behind.

**THE END.**


End file.
